Christmas time is here -- whether we like it or not -- and what better way to get in the mood for cracking open chestnuts and wallets than to take in First Stage Children's Theatre's production of Frank L. Baum's "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." Be warned, this is not your typical "There really IS a Santa Claus" story. Baum, best known for his "Wizard of Oz" series of children's books, created an almost Tolkien-esque world populated with Knooks, Nymphs and Ryls, which serves as the birthplace for the gift-toting one.
A welcome change from the North Pole drill - in fact, we never really find out how Santa wound up there, which is fine by me. There was plenty in between to keep us entertained for a couple hours on a freezing Friday night.
Scenic designer Rick Rasmussen employed a similar -- yet effective -- scheme as the one he created for Next Act's production of "Red Herring," which featured a rotating section in the middle of the stage, which made scene changes a cinch. One innovative aspect, however, was the curtained columns resembling tree trunks that came down and covered the lit-up Christmas tree. They also facilitated easy entrances and exits for the actors, although they somewhat distorted the video images projected on a long narrow screen at the back of the stage.
Props manager Mark Hare added a modern twist to the "letter to Santa" motif by giving Ginny (Eleanor Ryan) a laptop, which served as the impetus for a convincing fight with her big brother, Thomas (Ari Shapiro). Shapiro's convincing portrayal of Ginny's tormentor lent a genuine feeling of anxiety to the scene that climaxes when his sister desperately shouts, "Leave me alone!" As annoying as her somewhat bratty rendition of the main character was, Ryan did have some funny lines. When she is first introduced to Santa's birthplace, the forest of Burzee, for example, she remarks, "The forest of Brassiere?", which got at few laughs from the older kids.
Dan Katula's rendition of Santa embodied a perfect balance of "Ho ho ho" and witty remarks such as, "Big brothers are big buttheads!", which really got the kids going. His performance, like that of Mr. Quimby in "Ramona Quimby" earlier this season, was so likeable and down-to-earth. His abundant enthusiasm was infectious, and made even the Scroogiest audience member smile in spite of him/herself.
His Knook sidekick, Peter (Andy Gladbach), on the other hand, was not so stellar. Maybe after puberty his vocal projection skills will improve, but for now, his character was more anemic and quirky than anything else.
Kärin Kopischke's stunning costume designs, nevertheless, redeemed any acting deficiencies in the cast. It was fascinating just to admire her sketches in the lobby as my niece Hannah and I munched on gingerbread man cookies during the intermission. The forest people's costumes were fantastic, which matched their performances as well. Necile, a Nymph (Lillian Cummings) and the three kid-Nymphs (Brianna Zawada, Megan Coffey, Sophia A. Lemaitre) were really cute, although their ears were a bit wild. They looked like they had two conch shells strapped to their heads. Her intricate ensembles, however, brilliantly wove nature motifs such as acorns and pine cones into functional - and fashionable - pieces. Nuteer, a Ryl (Alicia Cardenas), for example, wore a really cool purple bell-shaped flower hat and her dress was made of petal panels.
After the performance, First Stage usually holds a five-minute talkback with the actors onstage. It really is a neat opportunity to have kids talk to each other and learn from one another about theater. As warm and fuzzy we felt on the inside, however, it was no match for the brutal elements that assaulted us as we were leaving the theater. Well, you can't have everything, but First Stage came pretty close.
"The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" runs through December 24th. For more information, please contact (414) 273-7206.
