Despite some setbacks related to Superstorm Sandy, Touchstone Theatre will present the 13th iteration of "Christmas City Follies," opening Nov. 29.

The show brings back old favorites with some fresh material for "vaudevillian holiday hijinks," says Director Jp Jordan, Artistic Director at the south side Bethlehem theater where the show continues through Dec. 22.

During the storm, Touchstone was without electricity for at least four days, Jordan says, and cast members were dealing with their own struggles as a result of the storm.

Typically, the eight members of the cast put more than 100 hours of work into preparing and rehearsing for the show. The cast lost about 20 hours of rehearsal time because of the storm, but Jordan said they've stepped up to make up for the lost time.

"We're not in bad shape," he says. "We're working hard with smiles on all our faces."

And smiles are what he hopes the show will bring to audiences this holiday season.

"Christmas City Follies XIII," the name inspired by Bethlehem's nickname, strives to provide something different every year. In the past, the show ran on alternating years, but for the last eight seasons, Christmas City Follies has been a Touchstone holiday tradition, Jordan says.

Part of what keeps the show fresh is the apprenticeship program, according to Jordan. Every year, a new group of actors brings their ideas and creative approaches to Touchstone and contributes to the production while learning from ensemble veterans.

"We get an infusion of young new energy every year and we're constantly moving forward," Jordan says. "We're working our own artistic voices, and having young people influence our artistic voice and still developing theirs."

Touchstone specializes in original work, Jordan says, which is another reason "Follies" can last for 13 seasons and still present something new each time. As the cast brainstorms and fishes for new ideas for the show, Jordan says they still take some aspects of previous shows in mind.

Though there is a sketch comedy aspect to "Follies," the show isn't like what one sees on "Saturday Night Live." The majority of the show is comedic, but Jordan emphasizes that there are a few sentimental moments as well.

Jordan hopes that at the end of the show, audiences leave with a sense of wonder about the holiday season. He says there is a warmth to the season that we don't fully understand.

"Whether you're Christian, Jewish or Muslim, we as an American culture celebrate Christmas for Christmas's sake. It's based around some warm, fuzzy feeling we all have," Jordan says. "Hopefully, this just adds to it."

Smiles and all.