STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTO BY KIRSTEN SHULTZ
Milburn is the man who has had enough.
And he had enough of the holiday cheer by Thanksgiving, thank you.
But this grumpy Millennial is about to have his eyes opened wide, thanks to the magical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Little Match Girl,” inspired by a modern-day saleswoman hawking lights for seasonal affective disorder.
Company of Fools’ “Striking 12,” running through Dec. 31, is a kind of Ebenezer Scrooge meets the Little Match Girl story.
The play, which stars Chris Carwithen as Mr. Milburn, revolves around an overworked, under-inspired guy named Mr. Milburn who decides to skip out on his friends’ New Year’s Eve celebrations—yes, even the one with the Brooklyn babes with biceps—and go to bed early.
“No disappointments, no bad champagne. No strong arm woman gonna yank my chain,” he sings.
But a chance meeting with the S.A.D. light seller prompts him to dust off his book of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales.
And reading the story of the little girl, who can’t seem to catch a break on the freezing cold streets of London as others rush to their roasting goose and sugar plums, opens his eyes to a new reality of the world around him.
The music is eclectic, ranging from a sweet “Snow Song” ballad to the rapid-fire patter duet of the sales pitch. The latter amazingly encompasses everything you need to know about seasonal affective disorder in a song from the axis of rotations tilting right to the many carbohydrates those with S.A.D. consume.
The lyrics are clever and some of the ballads sweet and to the point.
As the Little Match Girl sings from her street of stone and house of tears: “Doesn’t anybody, doesn’t anybody need, doesn’t anybody need some light tonight?”
The musical doesn’t sugarcoat the loneliness and the letdown that many people experience around the Christmas season. But it does end on an upbeat note.
“It shows that even in times of darkness we can be one another’s sources of light,” said Director Ilana Becker.
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. It 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 musical, directed by Ilana Becker, features Carwithen, Grant Carey, Samantha Blain, DeAnn Stewart, and Joel Oramas. R.L. Rowsey provides the vocal direction and Carey, the musical direction, including Stewart’s mesmerizing fiddling.
IF YOU GO:
What: “Striking 12”
When: 7 p.m. Tonight-Saturday, Dec. 22-23, 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: Ten front-row seats for $10 for each performance.
New Year’s Eve Fundraiser Performance: $65 for adults and $25 for students. It includes a ball drop, surprise treats and a chance to sing “Auld Lang Syne” at 9:30 p.m.