Over the years, Ms. Fulton revamped the show, adding more to what had previously been a largely improvised script. She also added roles for women — in the chorus and as stars.

“While it was beautiful, it was a very static pageant,” she said. “There is so much energy in the theater these days, and the audience wants to laugh.”

Still, I didn’t quite know what to expect when I showed up for the dinner earlier this month.

As it turned out, what lay ahead was a four-hour Yuletide marathon for about 300 guests, dressed in tuxedos and ball gowns, but not, it should be noted, in costume. (It makes it difficult to distinguish audience members from staff.)

While Sydney Schwindt, a classically trained fight choreographer, brought kinetic energy to her scenes as the production’s first woman jester, and two women’s version of “O, Holy Night” moved at least one man I saw to tears, Ms. Fulton was the steady star.

She didn’t blink when, during a bit requiring an audience member’s participation, the man’s friends broke the rule forbidding phone photography. She was charismatic when she visited tables to greet guests.