Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer: The Musical makes its triumphant return to First Stage. It was an overwhelming hit with adults and children alike when the production debuted in 2012. It has lost none of its holiday-themed luster the second time around.
The story will be familiar to anyone who grew up watching the old animated TV special, featuring the voice of Burl Ives as the narrator (a snowman). The live version is even better, not only on the strength of its performances and delightfully cartoonish sets, but also on a retinue of young creatures called “snowken.” The snowken are almost unseen as they animate puppets shaped as forest creatures, move sets and whisk Rudolph into the air. This sort of “flying” may not yield the spectacular effects as attaching wires to Rudolph (a la Peter Pan), but it does the job. The snowken are well-trained and move seamlessly throughout the performance.
The show’s overall theme is about how “misfits” should be accepted and, in the case of Rudolph, a “misfit” can also outrank the average flying reindeer. After all, its Rudolph’s nose that saves Christmas by lighting the way for Santa’s flying sleigh.
Directed by Matt Daniels, an exceptionally large cast populates this production. In the performance seen by this reviewer, the “Holly” cast of children was on view. Luke Brotherhood, who has been a part of the First Stage “family” for years, gives an excellent, polished performance as Rudolph. Jake Koch does an equally fine job as Rudolph’s sidekick, an elf who wants to become a dentist. The teasingly cute young doe, Clarice, is portrayed by Abigail Hanna. It’s a big cast, and Matt Daniels keeps everything flowing smoothly and briskly.
As per usual in First Stage productions, the adult roles are snapped up by some of the town’s finest actors. The Burl Ives character comes to life at First Stage as a wheeled snowman. Robert Spencer, as the snowman, nails this part. He even has a nice voice, used in a couple of the musical numbers. In place of an orchestra, pre-recorded music is used.
Other notable adult cast members include Todd Denning, the Santa who is nagged incessantly by Mrs. Claus (Karen Estrada). She implores Santa to keep munching away. “Who ever heard of a skinny Santa?” she scolds. Actor Lee Becker is double-cast as the young reindeer’s flying coach and as Yukon Cornelius. Yukon is a somewhat confused prospector who gets around on ice floes. The most spectacular “special effect” is Bumble, a huge, blue monster. It takes several actors to animate Bumble, and they do a terrific job of moving this hulking creature. Although Bumble comes with claws and sharp teeth, he is mostly hidden by ice glaciers. Only very young children might be momentarily frightened by Bumble’s size and sound. More than a few lucky children clutched Rudolph stuffed animals of various sizes, all of which are sold in the lobby along with other “reindeer-themed” merchandise.
