Shouts of Glee for SRT’s ‘Rudolph’
Do yourself and your family a favor and treat yourself to Sierra Repertory Theatre’s Christmas cheers to the holidays concoction: a cleverly staged turn on a beloved TV special.
Based on the hit holiday classic song and that beloved circa 1964 stop-action holiday TV classic, SRT’s musical production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is playing at Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Historic Park through Sunday, Dec. 22 with matinee shows Wednesdays at noon, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.; evening performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. The show runs about 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission that is perfect for grabbing ice cream at the theatre’s in-lobby ice cream parlour.
The TV special traces its roots back to a 1939 story created by Robert Lewis May, who crafted the tale for a booklet with coloring sheets that was commissioned by the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department store, which gave away in its initial printing 2.4 million copies. Along with spawning a number of comic books, View-Master reels (remember those?) and a children’s story, Rudolph’s tale became the basis for a 1948 film short and in 1949 was adapted into the song most of us know well enough to sing in our sleep. The tune, by composer Johnny Marks, who happened to be May’s brother-in-law, as sung by Gene Autry, hit #1 on the Billboard charts that December, selling 2.5 million copies that year. Until the 1980s it remained one of the best-selling songs of all-time.
Songs you will hear SRT’s wonderfully cast ensemble perform in the stage version include: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,“ composed by Johnny Marks to complement the original story written by his brother-in-law Robert Lewis May. The songs that aired in the 1964 TV special were also penned by Marks. Among them: “A Holly, Jolly Christmas,” “Jingle, Jingle Jingle,” “When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter,” “We’re Just a Couple of Misfits,” “We Are Santa’s Elves,” “Fame and Fortune,” “Silver and Gold,” “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year,” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” The show runs about 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
Full disclosure here, when I first saw it as a little tyke, the Rankin and Bass TV production, complete with its whimsically appealing story narrator, Sam the Snowman, voiced by folk singer Burl Ives, apparently became my first “crush,” as my mother recalled. The Abominable Snow Monster on the other hand, truly terrified me at first. Over the years, all the characters became warmly familiar and beloved to so many people, including me, although I did move on from Ives to adore David Cassidy as Keith Partridge in “The Partridge Family” TV series for a while!
Interestingly, not everything “Rudolph” has struck silver or gold as there was a very badly received 1998 movie that not only messed with the characters, it had a wacky storyline and bombed despite character voice depictions done by the likes of John Goodman, Bob Newhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Idle, Debbie Reynolds and Richard Simmons along with an original score of tuneage sung by artists including Paul McCartney, The Pointer Sisters, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and Clint Black.
Originally produced and directed in 2012 at First Stage in Milwaukee, the stage version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which remains true to the TV version, was conceived by Jeff Frank with script adaptation by Robert Penola and scenic and puppet designs by Brandon Kirkham. It has since been performed by regional theatre companies and had a national tour.
The production, combining creative stagecraft, costumes, puppetry and a terrific cast, effectively captures the show’s original feel and charm; still sending home the moral to the story: everyone may be a bit of a misfit but we all fit in when others accept and appreciate us for who we are.
SRT is also presenting another holiday production, “Americana Christmas,” featuring holiday songs in the Americana, roots, folk and alt-country genres from the female-led musical group Americana Women. That show runs Dec. 5-22 at its East Sonora Theatre on Mono Way above The Junction Shopping Center. For details and tickets on both events visit sierrarep.org.
Photos by Bill Herbert
