Leave it to an outcast reindeer and two little 6-year-old girls who barely knew each other to drive home the First Stage motto of "Transforming Lives Through Theater."

The occasion was opening night of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Musical" at First Stage. The star of the show, for me, was the incredible impact that theater can have on children who may be too young to understand every single thing taking place on stage.

I took two 6-year-olds to the play with me. Molly and Mara knew each other only in passing, having met briefly last summer. Molly is a Christian for whom Christmas is a big deal. Mara is a Jew who lives through the onslaught of Christmasdom in schools, on television, in stores, etc.

It didn’t take long for the "Molly, do you believe in Santa" question to come up as we sat in our seats, looking at the stage before the play began. I was determined to not step in here and I just wanted to see where they went with it.

The concept of not believing was way outside Molly’s realm. But she listened as Mara explained how some Christians thought Jews really should believe in Santa and Christmas. Mara thought that wasn’t very nice. Molly, once she got hold of the idea that not everyone believed, told Mara that it was OK. She said everyone should be able to believe in what they believe in. Mara said that was why this was a great country.

And then we quickly moved to the tooth fairy, which both believed in with great sincerity and devotion. They spent considerable time about Molly’s tooth pillow and Mara’s tooth box that her grandfather made for her.

The lights went down and we were off with Rudolph, directed with incredible skill by Matt Daniels, one of my favorite Milwaukee actors. Daniels found things in this story that are not readily apparent.

Rudolph can be a story about a reindeer with a funny nose coming to the rescue during a bad storm to light the way for Santa’s sleigh. It’s a story we all know and love.

But this production placed the emphasis on the ones who don’t fit in. The ones who are the misfits, the outcasts, the kids left on the playground when everyone else runs around.

Rudolph has a red nose, making him different. Hermes is an elf who would rather be a dentist. We also have an island of misfit toys with a Jack in the Box named Charlie and a train with square wheels on the caboose.

Watching the two girls sitting next to me I could see that their interest in Santa was not as overwhelming as I might have expected. But when it became clear that other reindeer were making fun of Rudolph, I watched each of them move to the front of their seats.

This production is the kind of thing that First Stage does better than just about anybody else in town. There is this almost magical touch with an audience, adults and kids. Nothing is forced. The laughs are easy. The warmth is gentle. The songs are full of meaning and wonder.

Perhaps one of the most special moments was when Clarice, Rudolph’s new girlfriend, sang to him about his hopes to be a "real" reindeer.

"There’s always tomorrow, for dreams to come true," sang sixth grader Abigail Hanna in one of the sweetest voices you’ve ever heard. "Tomorrow is not far away."

At intermission Mara and Molly sat down to watch the crowd after I assured them it wasn’t over. There was no talk about presents or sleighs or Santa or belief or disbelief. This little Christian and this little Jew had settled that long ago. What they were talking about was how everybody seemed to belong on the island. How one misfit should to hang out with another misfits.

"Transforming Lives Through Theater" indeed.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Musical" runs through Dec. 28 and information is available here.