By Richard Schultz, Dec. 4, 2014.
So much of what defines the holiday season for revelers is based on tradition. Yet each year, as fans revisit stage productions of The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol and TV networks showcase such cinematic classics as It’s a Wonderful Life and White Christmas, one might ask: Are these iconic holiday characters the real reason for the season?
Many local actors are presented with a daunting challenge when cast as one of these beloved characters. Imagine the courage it takes to whisk on stage as the legendary Mary Poppins or to amble about the footlights as that Yuletide curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge.
Echo asked local actors how they approach playing an iconic holiday character that is often so well known to audiences and, in some cases, already a part of their seasonal traditions.
White Christmas
Nathan Brian as Bob Wallace and Patrick Grave as Phil Davis
Based on the 1954 film starring Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace and Danny Kaye as Phil Davis, Arizona Broadway Theatre presents Irving Berlin’s musical spectacle that follows World War II veterans Wallace and Davis and their pursuit of romance while en route to the ultimate wintery holiday in Vermont.
Brian, who portrays Wallace, looked to popular films and music from the 1950s as the main source for inspiration including High Society and The Band Wagon.
“Bob's personality might be the closest I've ever played to myself. Both Bob and I love to be on stage, but are also both quite cynical,” he said. “The biggest difference between us is that Bob hates the cold and snow. As a Minnesota native, winter isn't winter if you don't get caught in a few blizzards.”
According to Grave, who plays Phil Davis, he’s incredibly humbled to play a role that Danny Kaye made so famous.
“But bringing yourself to a role is so important when dealing with an iconic [character],” he said. “People expect to see replicas of Danny Kaye, but you have to disregard that … I make it my own by not copying what Danny Kaye has done, but simply by bringing as much of my natural self to the role.”
White Christmas
Through Dec. 28
Arizona Broadway Theatre
7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria
Tickets: $63-$105; 623-776-8400
Mary Poppins
Trisha Hart Ditsworth as Mary Poppins and Toby Yatso as Bert
Based on the P. L. Travers' book series of the same name, Phoenix Theatre stages this musical fantasy featuring the irresistible story of a magical nanny. This stage version is quite different from the 1964 Disney film that starred Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins and Dick Van Dyke as Bert, the chimney sweep.
Ditsworth recognizes the popularity of the cinematic Mary Poppins, but has worked to stay true to the character while bringing her own interpretation.
“I have not seen the film recently … however, the film is still so vivid in my mind that I am sure there are many things that I do that mimic her portrayal,” she said. “I think she was fabulous in the role, as was Ashley Brown when I saw her in the Broadway production in New York.”
As far as similarities to her character go, Ditsworth said she considers herself a perfectionist and loves working with children.
“One of the things I struggle with is that I am a very sentimental person. I get attached to people very easily,” she said. “Mary Poppins cares a great deal for the children, but she would not cry when she leaves them. She's stronger than that.”
Yatso recalls seeing the movie as a youngster and said he carried that memory with him as he approached his own interpretation of Bert.
“I was able to see the Broadway production and I watched the film one more time before auditions. Both experiences were delightful,” he said. “I am a different actor than previous Berts, so something about my performance is always going to be a little different.”
While his favorite moment is the musical number “Step in Time,” Yatso said he particularly relishes whenever Mary Poppins gets to put him in his place “in the loving way she does.”
Mary Poppins
Through Dec. 28
Phoenix Theatre
100 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix
Tickets: $30-$80; 602-254-2151
A Christmas Carol, The Musical
Peter J. Hill as Ebenezer Scrooge
Fountain Hills Theatre’s managing artistic director Peter J. Hill portrays Scrooge while also writing original music and lyrics for the Charles Dickens holiday classic with Jay Melberg.
A Christmas Carol chronicles the experience of a curmudgeonly miser who is visited by ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future who hope to change his destiny and save his soul.
“I cling to the adage that no one is a villain in their own life. I want my Scrooge to be understood. You won’t and certainly shouldn’t agree with old Ebby, but I want audiences to understand the reasons,” he said. “I hope that I am underplaying his miserliness … he is a man who simply fears the world too much and, of course, unlike other Scrooges in the Valley, my Ebby sings.”
Yet, Hill recognizes the trait he shares with Scrooge and cherishes his transformation.
“I am the ultimate skeptic … I would still be of the belief that all the ghosts, not just Marley, were caused by a stomach ache,” he said. “[The show is] pure joy. Seriously exhausting, but pure joy.”
A Christmas Carol, The Musical
Dec. 5-21
Fountain Hills Theatre
11445 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills
Tickets: $20; 480-837-9661
Miracle on 34th Street
Jim Coates as Kris Kringle
Based on the timeless movie of the same name, The Palms Theatre shares the tale of a white bearded gentleman claiming to be the real Santa Claus who brings about a genuine Miracle on 34th Street and spreads joy throughout New York City.
“I've seen other portrayals of Santa, but in my acting research and preparation, I always prefer to create my own characters,” he said, adding that he draws from his lifetime of Christmases and his continued belief in Santa Claus.
“Like Kris Kringle, I myself am a jolly, kindly old elf,” he said. “Unlike Kris Kringle, I am not really Santa Claus, plus I have to wear a "fat-suit." (Shhh! Don't tell.)
His favorite moment occurs in Act Two when Susie challenges Kris and offends him, which according to Coates, “causes him to react strongly, and thereby to regain his lost faith in himself.”
Miracle on 34th Street
Through Dec. 25
The Palms Theatre
5247 E. Brown Road, Mesa
Tickets: $15-$55; 480-924-6260
Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!
Kate Haas as Junie B. Jones
Based on Barbara Park’s bestselling books, Childsplay revisits the kids in Room One who are gearing up for a celebration. When Junie B. draws tattletale May’s name for the Secret Santa giveaway, she hatches a plan to leave her nemesis with a stinky old lump of coal.
“I definitely wanted to find a voice that sounded fitting to Junie B.,” Haas said. “I often start with a character's physicality and the voice just comes out. Then I have time to explore and tweak it until it feels right.”
Haas borrowed multiple Junie B. books from the library and devoured the text where the illustrations provided her more insight into how Junie B. moves and behaves.
“Junie B. and I both incredibly passionate about the things and people we care for, and we both like to talk/write (either to ourselves or others) to work through a puzzling situation.”
Haas said the scenes in which Junie B. talks to her stuffed elephant, Philip Johnny Bob, are among her favorite.
“When I was a kid, my stuffed animals had names and backstories. We went on adventures together,” she said. “In contrast, I'd say that I had less disciplinary problems in school than she does.”
Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!
Through Dec. 28
Childsplay
Tempe Center for the Arts Theater
700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe
Tickets: $12-$25; 480-350-2822
Ben Tyler and David Barker who both portray multiple characters
This quirky comedy, part of the series chronicling life in a small Texas town called Tuna, has been presented all around the country annually since 1989. Two actors, Valley favorites Ben Tyler and David Barker, play 22 characters at a rapid-fire pace while delivering a holiday message of redemption.
Tyler said he feels that the 11 characters he plays are not so much iconic, as they are ironic.
“My approach to playing them is to make them real,” he said. “They’re real people in crazy situations. I think the audience will identify with the Christmas anxiety they’re experiencing … they don’t waste many words in the telling. You have to pay very close attention to all the characters.”
Additionally, Tyler said he skipped the opportunity to view the DVD of the original production in favor of “approaching the work with a clean slate.”
“I don’t believe that any of these characters are well known. That’s why this play appealed to me so much, and why we hope it will appeal to the audience,” he said. “This is a very fresh Christmas story. The playwrights made these characters very distinctive.”
“As we begin to share this wacky tale with the public, there will certainly emerge moments that people will respond to consistently and ideally with laughter,” said David Barker.
A Tuna Christmas
Nov. 21-Dec. 14
Mesa Encore Theatre
318 E. Brown Road. #101, Mesa
Tickets: $15; 480-834-9500
