Stages Theatre in Hopkins recently invited us to see “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” which is running now through January 3rd. This year it is the 50th Anniversary of the beloved television classic (which first aired in 1964!), and Stages Theatre is bringing it to life on their stage!
We saw the show during its first weekend and what a fun kickoff it was to the Christmas season!
Check out this preview video:
I think I saw the famous TV special every year while growing up. Who forgets songs like “We’re a Couple of Misfits” and “Silver and Gold.” And of course, in addition to Rudolph, all the familiar characters were there including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, the Misfit Toys.
The show really fit the musical to a T, and the actors played their roles with all their characters’ familiar characteristics from the TV show, especially Hermey the Elf and his signature nasal voice!
We also really enjoyed Sam the Snowman, the Narrator, who was played by Bruce Rowan, a longtime member of the Stages Theatre cast and crew. He “glided” across the stage as he narrated the story and sang the well-loved “Silver and Gold” song from the musical.
The show lasted about an hour and a half with a brief intermission. There were lots of laughs, plus special effects such as when Rudolph flew up into the air with delight after Clarice told him he was “cute!”
One thing to note for young kids…The Abominable Snow Monster is a large puppet that growls and appears a few times behind the “mountains” on the set. My kids were ok but might scare really young kids briefly when he first appears. (If they do get scared just let them know he’s actually a nice monster which they’ll see at the end!)
It’s helpful to see the TV special with your kids before going. We saw it afterward but wish we had seen it first so our 4-year-old would have understood it a little better. But we all definitely had a great time and enjoyed it as everyone else in the audience did!
After the production, there is opportunity to meet the cast and take pictures. We had to rush off but I recommend planning some time to get some autographs and photos!
Prices are as follows:
Adult Seats $25.00
Senior Seats (ages 60+) $21.00
Youth Seats (ages 4-17) $18.00
Youth (ages 3-4) $5.00 lap pass
Youth (ages 0-2) Free lap pass
Visit their website for more information including show times!
Note they also have a fun event on December 6th at 2pm called the Snowball Gala. It’s a fundraiser event but includes extra fun for the family including gourmet sweets and treats, family photos on stage, crafts in Santa’s Workshop, and meeting live baby reindeer!
(Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% ours.)