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‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’ Delves into the Magic of Love
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Friday, December 7, 2018
 

STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTO BY KIRSTEN SHULTZ

You might expect a china rabbit with a highfalutin name like Edward Tulane to be a mite haughty and self-absorbed.

And, indeed, the china doll given to a 10-year-old girl by her grandmother is as vain as it comes, even though his little girl treats him with utmost love and respect.

But Edward Tulane’s life of privilege changes in the blink of an eye when he accidentally falls overboard while vacationing on the RMS Queen Mary. And the transformation that follows is what turns “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” into a sweet, poignant tale perfect for the Christmas holidays.

Company of Fools will stage “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” Wednesday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 30, at The Liberty Theatre in Hailey.

The cast will feature some of the valley’s best loved actors—Scott Creighton, David Janeski, Denise Simone and Aly Wepplo—under the direction of The Spot’s Natalie Battistone.

The play is adapted from a children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, whose story “The Tale of Despereaux” was made into an animated film by Universal Pictures. DiCamillo also wrote “Because of Winn-Dixie,” a runaway bestseller, and “The Tiger Rising,” which became a National Book Award finalist.

 “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” was named one of Teachers’ Top 100 books for children by the U.S. National Education Association in 2007. And it has been ranked No. 50 among all-time children’s novels by School Library Journal.

The tale follows Edward Tulane as he ends up face first on the ocean floor where he spends nearly a year before a storm frees him from the sand and he is pulled in by a fisherman. The fisherman takes him home to his wife where he is renamed and forced to wear dresses.

Overtime, he makes the rounds from that grieving couple to a hobo and his dog, a farmer in need of a scarecrow, a sad little boy and his 4-year-old sister with tuberculosis and a doll mender and her old doll.

They teach him what it is to love and to lose love and how to find the courage to love again.

And, as Edward Tulane transforms from the coldhearted, selfish, entitled rabbit he once was, he ends up back in the arms of the girl who once loved him.

 “If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless,” says the older, wiser Edward Tulane.

The story speaks to loss and recovery, kindness and compassion and self-discovery and the mysteries of the heart.

 “We all get one life as humans, but Edward gets many,” noted Janeski.  “His journey makes me think about my life and the different places I’ve lived and the different people I’ve lived among. And how sometimes you have to have the courage to go on, knowing that, when you’re down, things will get better.”

 Simone said she cried at the end of both the play and the book.

“The crux of the story is so beautiful—that, no matter what happens, you have to walk forward with an open heart ready to love and be loved,” she said.

“It reminds us that you can’t force yourself to learn a life lesson,” added Battistone. “The universe is going to give the lesson to you in equal measure to what you need.”

The story runs in the same vein as another beloved children’s story, “The Velveteen Rabbit,” who went on a journey to become real, Denise Simone noted.

Rabbits were actually the go-to children’s toy before Teddy Roosevelt popularized the Teddy Bear, said Janeski. And Walt Disney started out with a rabbit before he lost the rights to it—that’s when he came up with Mickey Mouse.

“There’s something about the rabbit that seems like a seeker, a truth bearer—and they’re cute,” said Simone.

The rabbit never becomes alive nor is it manipulated like a puppet in the play.

But Edward does go through eight different costumes from Edwardian costume to the shabby dress of the ragged people at the hand of costume designer Darrin J. Pufall as Edward makes his journey through garbage heaps and hobo camps.

Each of the actors plays several different characters, inviting the audience to use their imagination as they change personalities with a different hat or a different coat.

And set designer Joe Lavigne set the stage with an abandoned theater strewn with props, costumes and set pieces left over from previous productions that become part of the magic, as well, as a trunk is turned into a bed and scaffolding into a railroad car.

In addition, to the regularly scheduled productions, Company of Fools will present the play to 1,200 school children.

“As an actor, I appreciate stories that appeal to children and adults—and this is a delight. It’s absolutely magical,” said Scott Creighton.

 “It feels like a keepsake,” said Simone. “It’s a story parents and kids can read together –a good opportunity to make family memories.”

IF YOU GO…

What: “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane”

When: Dec. 12-30. Times are 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays with one 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Dec. 30.

Where: The Liberty Theatre in Hailey

Tickets: $35 for members of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and $40 for non-members. $35 for seniors 62 and over; $15 for students; $35 for members of a group of eight or more. Tickets are available online at www.sunvalleycenter.org, by phone at 208-578-9122 or at The Liberty Theatre box office.

Special Deals:  Opening Night is a Pay What You Feel preview, and adult tickets cost $23 for the Second Night. Educators and one guest get in for $15 each on Friday, Dec. 14, and 10 front-row seats for $10 each.

Post Show Chat Back with cast: Friday, Dec. 14.

 

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