First Stage’s Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, The Musical, Reigns Over The PAC!

Silvia Stoeger in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEERTM: THE
MUSICAL. First Stage, 2024. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

If you aren’t quite in the holiday spirit as you approach the Marcus Performing Arts Center, you will be by the time you reach the lobby, if like me, you find yourself climbing the stairs to the Todd Wehr Theater among youngsters quietly singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer to themselves…

And once inside, the room was electric until the lights went down and an immediate hush fell over the crowd in anticipation. And it was as near a full house (just a handful of empty seats) as I have ever experienced at the Todd Wehr so this silence from the young crowd here was amazing. This is the magic of First Stage, it engages the young audience in a big way but it entertains the entire family.

We all know the basic Rudolph story from the popular song. But Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the Musical has more story to tell! And we get some help keeping up with the plot via the narrator, Sam the Snowman, depicted by James Carrington. What a voice! What a presence on stage! Although Rudolph is our focus and hero, this story wouldn’t be as clearly told without Carrington’s portrayal of Sam.

David Flores (center) and cast in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED
REINDEERTM: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2024. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

As my long time readers and fans of First stage already know, the large musicals that First Stage presents at the Marcus are anchored by a few adult actors in pivotal roles and then two casts of young actors who rotate from presentation to presentation. So for Rudolph, we have the Silver Cast and the Gold Cast. You can find a complete cast listing here or here so if you know someone acting at First Stage you may want to consult the cast listings before ordering tickets. So, we do have two Rudolphs: Gwen Madson in the Silver Cast and Sylvia Stoeger in the Gold Cast. I saw the Silver Cast perform at the 1 P.M. matinee on December 1st.

So on with our story. We first meet Rudolph shortly after his birth as his mother proudly introduces him to his father Donner. All is joy and happiness until Rudolph’s nose starts to shine bright red. As Donner says, you could even say it glows. But it brings on great consternation between Donner and Santa. Eventually, Donner devises a nose mask to cover his nose. And as he grows, he eventually joins the other young bucks in reindeer games…essentially training under the watchful eye of Coach Comet. You know who that is, right? Well, despite being the longest and most successful flyer amongst the trainees, once his mask falls off, Comet banishes him from any reindeer games.

And just across Santa’s North Pole, the elves are making toys for Christmas. And elves love making toys and are making quick work of their tasks. Well, all except Hermey who doesn’t like making toys, for which he is ridiculed by his elfin peers. Hermey wants to be a dentist and he gets laughed at for that as well.

Zach Thomas Woods (left), Tim Linn (center), and cast in RUDOLPH THE
RED-NOSED REINDEERTM: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2024. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

Feeling ostracized, Hermey and Rudolph run away from their respective groups and team up and leave town. So of course they get lost and get into trouble. And they are threatened by the Bumble, a great snow monster who is able to track them via Rudolph’s nose. They meet Yukon Cornelius, played by adult actor Zach Woods (he also plays Comet). Woods plays a flamboyant over the top unsuccessful prospector looking for silver and gold in the Yukon. The three of them team up to overcome the Bumble and then make their way home.

And everyone back home is missing them and looking for them and they all arrive just in time for Rudolph to save Christmas by leading Santa’s sleigh with his red nose!

Now, be in your best voice because you are going to want to sing along with the cast as they sing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer for the grand finale. I mean it, you will be wholly ready to give yourself to the moment.

(left to right) Zach Thomas Woods, Silvia Stoeger, and Maryn Davis in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEERTM: THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2024. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

Some very special mentions here. There are a number of actors dressed entirely in white who hide around the set and move the snow banks, ice bergs, and pine trees. But their most important function is to operate and voice the many puppets that populate the North Pole. There is a seal, a pair of owls, another pair of birds, squirrels, a raccoon, and of course the Bumble. But the Bumble is more than life size and inhabited by Timm Linn who controls his eyes and mouth. But the Bumble’s arms are controlled by a pair of actors in white.

And I am guessing the first day of rehearsal for the elves is learning to float around the stage in their special shoes with the long curled toes.

And one last feature of every First Stage play: the talk back afterwords. This is a ten minute feature where the audience members can ask questions about the play or set or costumes or whatever and the cast will take turns answering. This week we learned that the musical is based on the animated film from 1964, that Sam is made out of foam and James Carrington is sitting on a chair attached to the costume’s floor and is wheeled about the stage. And that the choreography back stage…moving on and off stage…and moving to new entrance points is more important than the choreography on stage. So make sure you stay for the talk back.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, the Musical runs from now through December 29, 2024. But don’t put off getting your tickets, it is a very popular show. Rudolph runs about 75 minutes and there is one intermission. It is recommended for ages 3 to 12, but I think the top age limit is unlimited! Tickets can be ordered here. There are some special days during the run, so check the link here to see what and when.

And Extra Credit Reading: The Digital Playbill!

And in case you need some help: Lyrics for Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Based on the animated television special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and the stage production directed and conceived by Jeff Frank and First Stage. Directed by Jeff Frank.

J.T. Backes (left) and cast in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEERTM:
THE MUSICAL. First Stage, 2024. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.

Lumberjacks In Love: Shakespeare Meets Vaudeville At The REP!

After the rollicking fun of last season’s presentation of Men On Ice, expectations for the Rep’s next import from Wisconsin’s ‘Great White North’ was highly anticipated. And this presentation of another work from James Kaplan and Fred Alley proves it’s mettle.

Doc Heide, Ryan Cappleman, Joe Picchetti, Eva Nimmer (foreground), Molly Rhode (with string bass), and Chase Stoeger. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Rep, photographer is Mark Fronha.

So most of you who are familiar with Shakespeare know that one of his favorite shticks is having characters masquerade as others…and often as members of the opposite sex…often with a fair amount of Elizabethan humor ensuing…and Kaplan and Alley present a bit of that here all in good fun!

Vaudeville? Well, we have four guys at lumber camp in the deep woods. So certainly we are exposed to a slew of slap stick and physical humor with silly jokes and puns. Oh, and there might actually be a Shakespearean reference that draws it’s own share of outright laughter!

Doc Heide, Joe Picchetti, Ryan Cappleman, and Chase Stoeger. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Rep, photographer Mark Fronha.

Our four guys in the woods are Dirty Bob, Muskrat, Moonlight, and Minnesota Slim. With nicknames like that we already have a fun way to start out…but they open with a ensemble paean to life as a lumberjack…and the fun starts here immediately.

The lumberjack to watch is Dirty Bob played by Ryan Cappleman. Cappleman’s Dirty Bob is active, agile, and the over the top performer in nearly every scene and the butt of much of the humor…and from what I saw on Sunday night…the audience’s favorite character and actor! Camp leader is Minnesota Slim, who comes off as a very attractive and charismatic soul as played by Joe Picchetti. Doc Heide is Muskrat who celebrates his 60th birthday and is struggling a bit with the aging process…a bit concerning at first…but with a humorous result! And Moonlight is another character who is questioning what he is feeling and not sure where to go with it or how to address it…and Chase Stoeger is the sensitive Moonlight here.

Joe Picchetti, Eva Nimmer, Ryan Cappleman, Doc Heide, and Chase Stoeger. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Rep, photographer Mark Fronha.

And then there is a The Kid, Eva Nimmer. The Kid is an orphan who was originally brought to camp by her late father. At first a seemingly support character, The Kid later becomes the pivot point as our story shifts from the ‘joys’ as life as a lumberjack to Lumberjacks In Love. And her nemesis so to speak is Rosemary Rogers, the mail order bride who arrives to marry Minnesota Slim. And Rosemary Rogers is incredibly inhabited by Molly Rhode, who proves to be a very flexible opportunist, but not the exactly one you expect!

And then back to Shakespeare, the final scene is a reunion and personal discovery scene where all’s well that ends well.

Ryan Cappleman, Joe Picchetti, Doc Heide, Eva Nimmer, and Chase Stoeger. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Rep, photographer Mark Fronha.

Lumberjacks In Love is driven by exciting toe tapping music that vibrantly ties the back story together. And the cast that director Jeff Herbst has assembled here is obviously having a lot of fun and just as obviously is enjoying working together. That feeling is infectious and the audience clearly feels it too!

Extra Credit Reading: The Program is here.

Lumberjacks In Love runs for about two hours with an intermission and is playing at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Stackner Cabaret. The show just opened and runs through January 12, 2025. Additional information and tickets can be found here.

Chase Stoeger, Joe Picchetti, Doc Heide and Ryan Cappleman. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Rep, photographer Mark Fronha.
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Marie And Rosetta: Two Voices Ready To Bring You Joy!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a force of nature in the music business throughout the middle of the 20th Century. She is often called the Godmother of Rock And Roll and her influence on jazz and blues and rock musicians in the United States and the United Kingdom is well documented. And you will recognize the source of many rock sounds and tones during Marie And Rosetta, but that is not the focus of the play.

Instead, we will experience the developing relationship between Sister Rosetta Tharpe at the pinnacle of her career as she plucks a young singer/pianist from under the nose of Mahalia Jackson and makes Marie Knight her understudy and accompanist. They will both grow as musicians and will begin a life long friendship.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Marie and Rosetta in the Stiemke Studio, October 22 – December 15, 2024. Pictured: Bethany Thomas, Alexis J Roston. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

And there is an intriguing subtext here as well. Both women are devout Christians who are coming from a background of singing in church choirs and being soloists as well. So there is a struggle between being true to their spirituals and choral singing and the world of secular music. Sister Rosetta being older and more in tune with herself and her world has made it work but Marie isn’t yet comfortable where she now finds herself and presents a bit of push back. The resulting discussions provides opportunities for both women to reconsider their ideas and moral guidelines and find new ways to express themselves musically!

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Marie and Rosetta in the Stiemke Studio, October 22 – December 15, 2024. Pictured: Alexis J Roston, Bethany Thomas. Photo by Michael Brosilow

So what does that get us? Besides the conversations and exchanges of life being lived, we get an amazing panorama of songs and music from the Sister Rosetta Tharpe songbook. This isn’t quite a musical and not quite a cabaret piece either, but somewhere in between. But Director E. Faye Butler has made sure the music and the personalities are all front and center, every moment.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Marie and Rosetta in the Stiemke Studio, October 22 – December 15, 2024. Pictured: Bethany Thomas. Photo by Michael Brosilow

And as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, we have Bethany Thomas! This is a marvelous bit of casting because Thomas certainly has a voice that dominates just the way Tharpe’s did and an incredible stage presence that certainly illustrates that Tharpe diva persona as well. And it’s a joyous homecoming as Thomas also appeared in the Rep’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch and for me, most notably, Songs For Nobodies. I can’t think of any recent Rep performer who is more suited to play Sister Rosetta Tharpe than Bethany Thomas!

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Marie and Rosetta in the Stiemke Studio, October 22 – December 15, 2024. Pictured: Alexis J Roston,. Photo by Michael Brosilow

And Alexis J Roston is Marie Knight. Roston plays the younger Knight as a prodigious talent who is self-deprecating in the face of the famous and intimidating Tharpe. But she eventually starts to feel comfortable and slowly accepts her role in secular as well as Gospel music as Tharpe eases her along. There is a sort of big sister little sister relationship developed and at one point Tharpe starts calling her Little Sister. And Roston has every vocal chop needed to play Knight. She fills the stage with song and humor, although not always intentionally, and grows Knight’s stage presence and self confidence neatly and organically as the play progresses.

There are only the two actors and a single dramatic set of a funeral parlor that allows for the drama and the music to seamlessly be performed. Kudos to scenic designer John Culbert for that. And you may not be aware of the stage lighting…it is bright and dramatic for most of the spoken dialogue but will subtlety shift color and intensity to help express the moods for each of the songs performed. Lighting director Jared Gooding knows when to dim the lights. And although Rosetta and Marie are working with a piano and Rosetta a number of guitars, we are actually hearing Morgan E. Stevenson on piano and Benjamin Oglesby-Davis on guitar.

Marie and Rosetta is being performed in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Stiemke Theater. Opening night was October 22, 2024 and it runs through December 15, 2024. Additional information and tickets are available here.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Marie and Rosetta in the Stiemke Studio, October 22 – December 15, 2024. Pictured: Alexis J Roston, Bethany Thomas. Photo by Michael Brosilow