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‘Striking 12’ Lights Match to Illuminate the Darkness of the Holidays
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Sunday, December 10, 2017
 

STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTO BY KIRSTEN SHULTZ

A grumpy old guy with postnasal drip meets one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most haunting tales head-on in the off-Broadway holiday musical that opens this week at The Liberty Theatre.

Company of Fools will stage “Striking 12”--indie pop-rock group GrooveLily’s “un-holiday, holiday” musical urban fairytale Dec. 14 through 30, capped by a special New Year’s Eve fundraiser performance and celebration on Dec. 31.

The 90-minute performance revolves around an overworked, under-inspired guy named Mr. Milburn who, having had enough of holiday cheer, resolves to skip the New Year’s Eve revelry and go to bed early.

Winding up his day at a dull desk job, he trudges home to his cat. But his night takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself confronted with Hans Christian Andersen’s story of “The Little Match Girl” via a kooky urbanite going door to door selling special full-spectrum holiday light bulbs guaranteed to stave off seasonal affective disorder.

He soon finds himself absorbed in the story of the hungry little girl who tries unsuccessfully to sell matches on the street as others rush home to their fat goose roasting on the fire, oblivious to her struggle to stay warm in the freezing cold.

The song list follows the story with titles like “Matches for Sale,” “Lights Were Shining from Every Window” and “Visions in the Matchlight.”

The show, first presented in 2004, features rock, jazz, pop and show tunes written by GrooveLily’s keyboard player and violinist Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda in collaboration with Tony Award-winning book writer Rachel Sheinkin. Sheinkin wrote the book for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” which The Spot theater company in Ketchum staged last year.

“Striking 12” was praised by the New York Times as “more artfully crafted and engaging that virtually all the standard mold musicals coming our way these days.”

“The music tells the audience how to feel, said Samantha Blain, one of the actor-singers.

The play stars Chris Carwithen, who just moved to Hailey from Seattle after having appeared in several Fools’ productions, including “A Year with Frog and Toad,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Life Sucks.”

Grant Carey, a member of an indie pop group, will be familiar to many as the man behind the music at The Spot, as well as an actor in The Spot’s “A New Brain.”

Newcomers include Samantha Blain, a New York City-based Cuban-American actor who has performed in numerous Broadway workshops where she performed alongside Tony winner Anika Noni Rose; New York City actor DeAnn Stewart, who has worked with Emmy winner Andre De Shields and visited 27 countries while performing for Royal Caribbean Cruises, and New York City actor Joel Oramas.

R.L. Rowsey provides the vocal direction and Carey, the musical direction.

Ilana Becker, interim artistic director of Company of Fools said she has seenthe musical for 12 straight years and counts it as one of her favorite shows.

“It weaves three stories and settings—contemporary New York City, 19th century Denmark and the Liberty Theatre in Hailey—into one magical event,” she said. “And it is filled with near perfectly layered structure, intricate rhymes, delicious harmonies and a goofy sense of humor.”

The musical is an honest depiction of how isolating holidays can be, especially when filled with overly optimistic expectations.

“The holiday season is a great time of year but for many people it’s not,” said Blain. “The musical points out how people focus so much on what they don’t have that it blinds them from seeing what they do have.”

It also addresses what it is to open up and take care of each other in a sometimes lonely, often messy, world, said Becker.

“It shows that even in times of darkness we can be one another’s sources of light,” she added. “This is a story about generosity—how to open up and accept the love of others and give ourselves to each other, take care of each other.  We even rap about what stops us from opening up.”

A chat back with actors and a backstage tour with set designer Joe Lavigne will follow the 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, matinee.

And on Dec. 31 Company of Fools will host a special holiday New Year’s Eve fundraiser performance that will include a ball drop, surprise treats and a chance to sing “Auld Lang Syne”  at 9:30 p.m.

“That means you can celebrate the New Year early in the evening and get home at to bed at a decent hour,” said Becker. “Or, you can go on to your next party.”

IF YOU GO:

What: “Striking 12”

When:  7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 14-16; Wednesday-Saturday, Dec. 20-23, and Tuesday-Saturday, Dec. 26-30. 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23, and 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31.

Where: Liberty Theatre in Hailey

Tickets: $35 for Sun Valley Center for the Arts members; $40 for nonmembers; $35 for seniors 62 and over; $15 for students; $35 for members of a group of eight or more. Available online at www.sunvalleycenter.org, or by phone at 208-578-9122.

Special Deals: Pay What You Feel preview on opening night. $22 for Second Night 22 adult tickets on Friday, Dec. 22. Ten front-row seats for $10 for each performance. $15 tickets for educators on Educator night, Dec. 16, with chatback with the actors following the performance.

New Year’s Eve Fundraiser Performance: $65 for adults and $25 for students.

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