Review: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER JR at Red Curtain Theatre

One of my favorite memories as a child during Christmas time was watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV, which came on either before or after Frosty the Snowman and A Charlie Brown Christmas. So, I was thrilled that The Red Curtain Theatre in Conway brought to life RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER JR THE MUSICAL, to Staples Auditorium at Hendrix College Dec. 10 & 11, 16-18. The characters that I remembered during my childhood danced and pranced onstage to a very appreciative crowd.

With music and lyrics by Johnny Marks and script adaptation by Robert Penola, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER JR THE MUSICAL is about being born different and not necessarily fitting in with standard society. Even though Rudolph (Miles Watkins) has excellent potential in his reindeer abilities, he is ostracized because of his glowing nose by Santa (Nola Glueck), the other reindeer, and even by his parents Donner (Weston Newman) and Mrs. Donner (Ansley Sherman). Rudolph runs away and makes friends with Hermey the Dentist (Connor Biship) and Yukon Cornelius (Leah Fimple). While running from the Bumble (Eli Halter), they land on an island full of other outcasted misfits, who just want to be loved by children on Christmas day. Rudolph realizes he needs to go back home where he belongs and promises that he will tell Santa about them. When he gets back, he finds out that his parents have been missing, and Rudolph goes to save them from Bumble. And if that isn't enough, a blizzard hits, forcing Santa to make some serious decisions about Christmas. When Rudolph comes back after the rescue mission, Santa decides that his shiny nose is just what he needs to guide his sleigh through the blustering snowstorm. Then how the reindeers loved him......and you know how the rest of the song goes.

It is always impressive how Red Curtain can corral so many kids into a show. Directed by Savannah Gunyula, with music direction from Kent Britton and choreography by Christina Munoz Madsen, this team of dream makers made Christmas magic and, I'm sure, lifetime memories for all the young thespians and their families. Farrah Sherman as Sam the Snowman was the perfect narrator. She led the audience through the whole show all while in a giant snowman outfit, which was really grandiose. Kudos to the costume team-Liz Parker, Emmalee Dillon, Rebecca Dillon, and Amber Welch. Boss Elf Isaac Abel cracked me up pacing up and down trying to keep the other elves in shape and trying to make Santa happy, and Raegan Madsen was fun to watch as Young Rudolph with her eagerness and genuine joy of performance.

The musical added in a few more songs that were not in the original tv show, but were great, especially with the extra singing and ensemble numbers. "We're a Couple of Misfits" was a cute number with Rudolph and the dentist; I enjoyed the awesome dancing during "We Are Santa's Elves"; but the one that touched my heart was "There's Always Tomorrow" that Rudolph's girlfriend Clarice (Molly Goodman) sings to cheer Rudolph up. She was precious!

Before the show, I was privileged to hear some of Red Curtain's vocal students perform a small recital outside the theater. It was cold, but worth being able to see what they have been working on. Not only does Red Curtain put on plays, they have dance classes, vocal classes, acting classes, and piano lessons. They also help their students if there is an audition coming up. For more information on how you can get you or your children involved with a loving company, visit their website at www.redcurtaintheatre.com. There are still spots available for THE LITTLE MERMAID JR.