The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
NO ‘REINDEER’ GAMES
Director of stage version of ‘Rudolph’ tries to explore some underlying metaphors while keeping show’s focus on beloved story
When discussing Christmas specials for children, there’s a case to be made “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” is the crème de la crème. ¶ The 1964 stop-motion animated-television show features the world’s mostfamous reindeer, Rudolph, along with popular characters Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, the Abominable Snow Monster and, of course, Santa Claus. ¶ The iconic special has found new life in the form of live production “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer — The Musical,” which uses a mixture of actors and puppets to tell the story of how an unlikely group ends up visiting The Island of Misfit Toys and saving Christmas.
The touring show, which comes to Northeast Ohio for performances Dec. 7 through the 9 at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace, is, naturally, child-friendly; however, director and choreographer Dana Solimando said she’s noticed it’s the parents and grandparents who can’t seem to get enough of the reindeer with a shiny nose.
“That’s because they’re able to enjoy it while watching it through their kid’s eyes,” said Solimando, calling from Anaheim, California. “They’re so thrilled they’re able to share that in a new way — I really think that’s the most wonderful thing.”
“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer — The Musical” may be the most wonderful thing at the most wonderful time of the year. However, the director — who spent 12 years as professional dancer in New York City, appearing on Broadway (“Cats,” “Swing!” and “Peter Pan”) — said when she first joined the production, she was amazed by all of the metaphors and messages that ring true today.
Not only did the show premiere during the height of the Civil Rights movement, with Rudolph not allowed to play in reindeer games, but there’s that one certain elf who doesn’t fit into the toy-making culture.
“Hermey’s gay,” Solimando said, “It’s clear that’s what other people perceived as his misfit-ness. He
“I sort of compare it to ‘Into the Woods,’ where there are moments where it’s very serious, heartwarming, poignant and relevant, and then there are moments that are very tongue-in-cheek.” — Dana Solimandom, director-choreographer of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer — The Musical”
wasn’t being treated fairly or equally. It’s funny when we look back on it — it’s so clear as to what that underlying story is. There’s a lot of stuff going on. The interesting thing is the only thing that is hard to navigate around is something that it doesn’t address.
“We got some flack about this in New York City regarding the way women — the female reindeer and even Mrs. Claus — are portrayed. They deal with the metaphor of Hermey wanting to be a dentist and the metaphor of Rudolph not looking like the rest of them, but they don’t really deal with the woman issues. That’s something that I had to be clever (with) and (had) to navigate around that.”
Solimando said “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer — The Musical” — just like the original television show — succeeds in steering clear of any heavy-handed messages and instead focuses on the familiar story.
“I sort of compare it to ‘Into the Woods,’ where there are moments where it’s very serious, heartwarming, poignant and relevant, and then there are moments that are very tongue-in-cheek,” Solimando said. “So we have that kind of combination, but going in we knew we didn’t want to mess with it.
“When it comes to the adults, you have to be careful because it’s their baby. People feel they have ownership over it. It’s a huge part of their lives.”