Attending opening-night performances used to be a regular
occurrence for me. Heck, weekly trips (and especially multiple trips each week)
to the theater were a routine part of my calendar for more than a decade. Such visits
are now a part of my past, however, so it was with a mixture of anticipation
and nostalgia that I attended my first opening night – “Every Christmas Story
Ever Told (And Then Some)” at Northville’s Tipping Point Theatre – in quite
some time.
To me, an opening night performance is always one filled
with a unique energy not felt at any other performance. Actors are both excited
to be in front of a paying audience for the first time (or first time at the
full price), but also nervous about remembering their lines and stage blocking.
And most everyone on stage is both eager and apprehensive about how the
audience will respond to certain moments in the story – and whether or not
certain “bits” will work as intended.
The house staff, too, often shares in both the positive
energy and insecurities exhibited by their onstage counterparts. Volunteers are
often learning where the seats are that match the numbers on patrons’ tickets,
while theater managers smile, greet and schmooze with their guests while
keeping their fingers and toes crossed hoping for a pleasant, problem-free
night.
So, yes: There’s an unrivaled uniqueness to opening
nights that can’t be replicated later in the run, which is why I always found
opening nights to be among my most favorite times at the theater. (The goodies
served afterward helped, too!) And my experience at Tipping Point two Saturday
evenings ago not only kicked off my holiday season, but made my return to an
opening night performance a thoroughly enjoyable one!
The experience began the moment my guests and I entered
the theater. We were barely in the door when we were greeted warmly by the box
office personnel, and later, by the ticket takers who were both friendly and
efficient. And the night concluded with an afterglow – more on that later – after
which there were plenty of goodbyes from the staff that still remained.
Sandwiched in between, of course, was “Every Christmas
Story Ever Told…,” which is exactly what the name implies: pretty much every classic
(or cheesy) holiday-themed TV special, movie, commercial, carole and storybook
tale ever written sliced, diced and filleted into a two-hour comedy that even Scrooge
would have found entertaining (albeit begrudgingly, of course).
Written by Michael Carlton with original music by Will
Knapp, “Every Christmas Story…” celebrates the holiday spirit – literally at
one point – by mixing memorable holiday moments and traditions into a Christmas
stew that’s part satire, part slapstick and part improv, with a side of good
cheer to tie it all together. Be forewarned, however: Shakespeare it ain’t
(although a similar version exists based on the Bard’s tales). Therefore, there’s
no deep, complicated or thought-provoking plot to follow, or characters with
complicated back stories to keep straight. Instead, the script is written for
three actors, each of whom plays whichever character is needed at any given
moment. And there are a million of them (or so it seems) who quickly come and
go throughout the performance.
Sound easy? It’s not. And that’s why a creative director
and a trio of skilled actors are necessary ingredients to pull it together and make
sense of it all. (It’s also why every production of this show you might see
over the years – as I have since 2006, I believe – will be significantly
different from one another.) And the Tipping Point production is well served in
this regard.
The production opens with a familiar face to Tipping Point
audiences, as Patrick Loos enters, pulling an old-fashioned street lamp
alongside him. In as serious a tone as he can muster, he begins with the
opening dialogue from the ever-popular Dickens’ “A Christmas Carole.” Only
seconds into the scene, however, he’s interrupted by Vanessa Sawson, who
refuses to do the show, since it’s been done to death and she’s bored by it.
(That’s not an exact quote, but you get the point.) They’re joined shortly by
Hope Shangle, and it’s now two against one. So after a short debate, they call
a truce: If the two women get to tell their stories in the first act, Loos can
get his wish with the Dickens’ classic in the second.
Sort of – with the resulting version a delightful, whirlwind
visit with the now-very-familiar characters as only these three can portray
them.
And that’s the secret sauce of this production: These
particular actors, along with director Sonya Marquis and her team of technical
folk, give the show its unique and colorful spin. And that’s because the script
was written in a way that allows them to rise to the challenge of interpreting the
work by combining their individual senses of humor and creative skills into a
product that can never be replicated in quite the same way.
That’s the magic of live theater in a nutshell: Not only
is every production unique, so too is every performance – with the resulting
experience gone, never to return, except for the memories it created.
Looking back a couple of weeks, then, my memories are of
an entertaining night out with friends that launched my holiday season with
plenty of laughs. (The show should really
be sizzling now!) And of a company that always knows how to treat its guests
well.
I can’t end this memory, however, without a tip of the
hat to the Gay Bakers (Richard Payton and Christopher Kamm) who provided the afterglow’s
scrumptious desserts. You didn’t hear this from me, but rather than limiting
myself to only one sugary treat, I went back for another. And another. And what
the hell, for a couple more before I finally said goodnight and left the
building fully satisfied that the evening not only met, but surpassed all my
expectations.
'Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some)' runs now through December 22 at Tipping Point Theatre in Northville. For tickets and show information, CLICK HERE!
Photo: Vanessa Sawson, Patrick Loos and Hope Shangle. Set design by Jared P. Cole.