By Mary Boyle

I was born in 1974, which means I grew up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and the series of stop motion animated television specials by by Rankin/Bass Productions from the 1960's, which included Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, The Little Drummer Boy and, of course, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, along with the traditionally animated Frosty the Snowman.  I can still remember the anticipation of the yearly event of these television specials, which traditionally took place on a Wednesday night, and when I had children of my own, I made sure these shows became a part of their Christmas tradition, too.  Back in 2012, First Stage brought a part of my childhood to life with the World Premiere of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL and now its back, again, for the 2022 season!

Even if you haven’t seen the original television special, the music of Rudolph went on to become a mainstay of the Christmas music repertoire in our country.  I had always thought the song about Rudolph came from the cartoon, but in fact it was the opposite: the original animated television special was based on the song, which was written in 1949 by Johnny Marks (based on the poem written by his brother-in-law in 1939), who also wrote the other music for the special, as well as music and lyrics for a number of other Christmas classics.  The great Burl Ives, who was the voice of Sam the Snowman (a character made for him and based on him), became an icon of the Christmas Music catalogue because of the television special, with songs such as “Silver and Gold,” “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” and his version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”  And, if you know the song about Rudolph, then you already know most of the story about this most famous of reindeer; however, the animated special filled in a few more details.

​Narrated by Sam the Snowman (Tommy Novak), Rudolph (double cast as Liam Eddy/Lucia Harris), as we all know, was born with a bright and glowing red nose, to the dismay of his father, who is none other than Donner (James Carrington), one of Santa’s original sleigh team.  As Rudolph grows, his father tries to help him by covering up his “nonconformity” but, in the end, Rudolph is found out and ostracized by Santa (David Flores) and his reindeer community, except for his mother (Ashley Oviedo) and Clarice (double cast as Emily Honigman/Lauren DeGroot), a doe who thinks his red nose is cute.  Unfortunately, her father, Dasher (Rick Pendzich), doesn’t want his doe hanging out with a red-nosed reindeer.  Meanwhile, in Christmastown, an elf named Hermey (double cast as Layton Lal/Abram Nelson), who would much rather be a dentist than be an elf, is threatened with being fired by the Boss Elf (J.T. Backes) if he doesn’t get back to work making toys.  These two misfits meet and decide to run away together, despite the danger of the Abominable Snowman of the North (Tim Linn).  On their journey, they meet Yukon Cornelius (Rick Pendzich), a miner searching for silver and gold, and stumble upon the Island of Misfit Toys.  A timeless story about acceptance, there’s a reason the original special went on to become the second longest continually running Christmas TV special in the USA. 

The amazing thing about the First Stage production, which is being produced for the 4th time since its World Premier, is how true it is to the original.  The incredible scenic, puppet and costume design by Brandon Kirkham is truly as if the special was brought to life, but then the cast takes it a step further: most of the actors sound remarkably like the original voice actors (who, incidentally, were all Canadian, except for Ives).  Rick Pendzich is a ringer for Coach Comet and hysterical as Yukon Cornelius, David Flores and Karen Estrada are perfect as Mr. & Mrs. Claus, Tommy Novak does a fine job as Sam the Snowman, but my personal favorite is J.T. Backes as the Boss Elf and Charlie in the Box – it’s like listening to the original!  The Young Performers are double cast; I saw the Silver Cast and Layton Lal, Liam Eddy and Emily Honigman did a phenomenal job as Hermey, Rudolph, and Clarice, respectively.  Donner isn’t really a remarkable character in the animated special, but I would be remiss if I didn’t add that James Carrington brought his usual charm and humor to the role and made Donner stand out.

Directed by Jeff Frank, with music direction by Raven Dockery and choreography by Ami Majeskie, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL is the perfect holiday show for young children and their families.  Tickets may be purchased at firststage.org or through the Marcus Center Box Office, in person at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee or by phone (414) 273-7206 or toll free at (888) 612-3500. The number for TDD (for deaf and hard of hearing patrons) is (414) 273-3080.
 
Special events for RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL
Sensory Friendly Performance: Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 3:30 p.m.
A Sensory Friendly Performance with accommodations for families with children on the autism spectrum will take place on Saturday, December 10 at 3:30 p.m. Sensory accommodations include a quiet area staffed by an experienced educator, lower sound, house lights up and more. Tickets for Sensory Friendly Performances are $10. Order online or by phone at (414) 267-2961, weekdays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to reserve tickets. To learn more visit: firststage.org/plan-your-visit/sensory-friendly-performances/.
 
Grandparent Holiday Brunch: Sunday, December 11 before the 1:00 p.m. performance of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL

Gather the entire family and join First Stage for a festive holiday brunch before the 1 p.m. performance of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL on Sunday, December 11, 2022. The brunch will be held at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in the Bradley Pavilion located at 929 N. Water Street. Registration is from 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. The brunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $65 for adults and $45 for children 12 and under, which includes a delicious pancake breakfast buffet, holiday-themed activities and programing for the kids, plus your ticket to the show! Already have tickets for the show, but want to attend the brunch? Tickets are $50 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under. To learn more or to register, please visit Grandparent Holiday Brunch.

ASL Interpreted Performance: Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 3:30 p.m.
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This performance will be sign language interpreted for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Assistive listening devices are also available at the Todd Wehr Theater. To learn more, please visit: firststage.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility/sign-language-interpreted-performances/
 
About First Stage
Founded in 1987, First Stage is one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, and a driving force behind the creation of the best and most innovative plays for family audiences, theater training programs for young people and education initiatives for its schools and community. First Stage ensures that all programming is not only accessible to its community but that it is reflective of the community it serves.  First Stage produces plays that honor the young person’s point of view, include diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices and inspire meaningful conversations. First Stage has presented more than 70 world premiere productions that address important subject matters relevant to today’s youth. The Theater Academy is one of the nation’s largest high-impact theater training programs for young people (3-18 years old). Through a challenging curriculum taught by professional teaching artists, the Academy nurtures life skills through stage skills and includes the Next Steps Program that tailors Theater Academy classes to the needs of young people on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. As Wisconsin’s leader in arts-integrated education in schools, First Stage’s dynamic Theater in Education Programs cleverly blend theater activities with standard curriculum – allowing more than 10,000 students annually to learn traditional academic subjects through creativity and self-expression.  First Stage is a member of TYA/USA, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Milwaukee Arts Partners and is a cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). 

By Mary Boyle

I personally cannot think of a better way to celebrate the holidays than with live theatre, but nothing feels more festive than the historic and ornate, red and gold Pabst Theater and entering into the timeless story of Christmas spirit that is Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, performed each season, unfailingly, by The Milwaukee Repertory Theater. 

A Christmas Carol, of course, is the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge, a mean and miserly old man who runs a counting house in Victorian London with his single, ill-treated employee, the good-natured Bob Cratchit.  On the night before Christmas, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former partner, Marley, who warns Scrooge that he will be doomed to his terrible fate in the afterlife if he does not change his ways.  To help him, Marley tells Scrooge he will be visited by three spirits: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future.  The spirits, by reminding him of his past mistakes and showing him what his future will be if he continues on his path, teach Scrooge a lesson about the true Spirit of Christmas.

Now in its 47th year, the Rep's production of A Christmas Carol is the second-longest, continuous running professional production in the country, though there was a bit of a hiccup over the pandemic.  In 2020, for the 45th Anniversary of the production, The Rep still managed to honor the tradition by producing a one-man show starring Lee E. Ernst called Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, which was available for streaming.  In 2021, the show went back to a full cast, bringing Ernst on in the role of Scrooge, which had been played by Jonathan Wainwright for the past 4 years and Jonathan Smoots before that.  The production is a holiday tradition for families, but also for a number of Milwaukee's finest actors, who return year after year and become familiar faces.  Change can be difficult for holiday traditions and, this year, another big change occured when, once again, the role of Scrooge was recast: this time to Milwaukee favorite Matt Daniels which was, in my humble opinion, an excellent choice; in fact, I hope he decides to stick around for awhile.  

While the production has lost many longtime performers (Jonathan Smoots, Deborah Staples, Angela Iannone, and Jonathan Gillard Daly, to name a few of my favorites), the "newer" cast members have already become part of the tradition.  This year, Reese Madigan, Todd Denning, James Pickering, and Mark Corkins reprise their roles as Bob Cratchit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, Mr. Fezziwig/Charitable Worker, and the Ghost of Marley, respectively.  Madigan has been Bob Cratchit since Director Mark Clements unveiled the new production, along with the stunning rotating set design by Todd Edwards Ivins, in 2016 and I can't imagine the role without him.  Tami Workentin joined the cast in 2019 as the Ghost of Christmas Past and has returned, again, this season.  Carrie Hitchcock, who was the perfect (and perhaps only) replacement for Angela Iannone, joined the cast in 2021 and returned this year as Mrs. Fezziwig/Charitable Worker/Mrs. Dilber.  Rána Roman, who also joined the cast in 2021 and returns this year, is delightful as Mrs. Cratchit.  Christopher Peltier, who has been floating around for a few seasons now, is fun to watch in his various roles and one to keep an eye on.

Although A Christmas Carol is an British tale, I am still not crazy about the British pantomime addition to this production which, to me, lends itself more to comedy and slapstick when I want this show to be full of magic and wonder, but it's bearable.  The Rep recommends the show for ages 6 and up, but know that Clements really amps up the ghost story part of show; the initial appearance of Jacob Marley is still quite the loud jump scene, though it seems to have been reigned in significantly over the years.  In all, the show is a family-friendly holiday delight, sure to fill you with Christmas Spirit, and I encourage all to see it, if you can.  As Tiny Tim, who is played by the enchanting Lainey Techtmann this season, says: "God bless us, every one."

Tickets to A CHRISTMAS CAROL may be purchased at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by calling the Ticket Office at 414-224-9490, or in-person at 108 E Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee. Group tickets are available for parties 10+ by calling 414-290-5340. 

A Christmas Carol is presented by Jay Franke and David Herro and West Bend Mutual Insurance Company with Executive Producers Molly and Tom Duffey, Associate Producer Saints Andrew and Mark Charitable Gift Trust. Studio Gear is the Equipment Sponsor.


About Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin with three unique performance venues in the Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex– the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret.  For over six decades, Milwaukee Rep has been a centerpiece of Milwaukee’s vibrant arts and cultural scene with productions ranging from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare to American Classics and New Works that are entertaining, inclusive and impactful. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity.