‘Tis the season of laughter and good cheer! This is exactly what writer and director Patrick Schmitz had in mind when he created his theatrical comedy, “Rudolph the Pissed-off Reindeer,” last Christmas.
The show will run again this year from Dec. 3 to Dec. 19 at the Alchemist Theatre, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., for its second season.
“It was sold out last year, so we’re bringing it back this year,” Schmitz said.
Resurrecting the original cast along with three new talented actors, Schmitz is hoping that his Rudolph parody will fill the house again.
As Aaron Kopec, co-owner of the Alchemist Theatre, described it on the theater’s Web site: “This is ‘The Usual Suspects’ meets the classic claymation Rudolph story.”
“It’s very easy to follow,” Schmitz said.
The stage is split into two sections, going back and forth between the two sides like a “show-and-tell” effect. One side features Sam the Snowman in an interrogation room with two detectives named Rankin and Bass. They are trying to find out where a stash of illegal toys that don’t meet federal safety standards is kept.
The other side of the stage is Christmastown, where all the stories Sam tells come to life.
“That brings forth, of course, the Island of Misfit Toys,” Schmitz said. “That’s already giving away too much!”
“Rudy,” as Schmitz calls the show, was inspired by the claymation film from our childhood. Andy North and Joel Boyd, two of the original cast members, explain the motive behind the creation of the play.
“If you really watch (the claymation) and think about it, everybody in the story is kind of a jerk to Rudolph,” said North, who plays King Moonracer. “This show is if everybody in the story reacted more realistically to the things that were going on.”
“There are some things that we took from the original claymation version that you may recognize,” said Boyd, who plays Rudolph. “We added a whole bunch of other twists and spins, just because it’s funny.”
Boyd, who is 16 years old, is one of the four teenagers cast in the play, along with Kevin Gerrity, Nevin Langhus and Anna Wolfe.
The teens, who said they are loving every moment of the experience, got involved with ‘Rudy’ after meeting Schmitz, their improv coach at First Stage Children’s Theater, 325 W. Walnut St.
“Anna Wolfe was the reason I brought on a group of teens,” Schmitz said. “When I held auditions, I asked Anna to come down and audition (for Clarice) and she just blew everybody else out of the water.”
And from there came the decision to cast Boyd as Rudolph, 16-year-old Langhus as Fireball and 17-year-old Gerrity as Charlie-in-the-Box.
Since the show is recommended for ages 16 and above, there were some references that had to be explained to the teens as they were rehearsing.
“When we started rehearsals last year, there were so many jokes that (the teenagers) didn’t get,” Boyd said. “They needed to be explained to us, so (the play) is not really for the kids.”
With two shows sold out already, “Rudolph the Pissed-off Reindeer” strives to shock and entertain the audience for the second year straight. All show times and ticket sales can be found on the Alchemist Theatre’s Web site.
