December offers a host of events to celebrate the holidays and enjoy top quality productions that also offer something a little different for the season. The first week of the month includes A Celtic Christmas, Cirque Dreams Holidaze, and finishing off with the traditional Holiday Pops concert presented by the Yakima Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to the annual, festive Holiday Cabaret in the Capitol’s 4th Street Theatre, which will take place on Saturday, December 14th, the Capitol Theatre is bringing in two amazing productions to complete its holiday offerings, both part of the Capitol Best Series.
On Thursday and Friday, December 12th and 13th the whole family will enjoy the live stage adaptation of the holiday classic, animated television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
While Rudolph may be second only to Santa as an iconic, secular representation of the holiday season, his story only started in 1939. Robert Lewis May created the character of Rudolph as part of an assignment by his employer Montgomery Ward. Working as an advertising copywriter, May was tasked with creating a children’s book as a giveaway gift for Christmas shoppers. Six million copies were distributed by Montgomery Ward between its original printing in 1939 and its reissue in 1946.
In 1948, May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, wrote the words and music for the musical adaptation of Rudolph’s story. Marks is also known for such holiday favorites as Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Holly Jolly Christmas, and Silver and Gold. It was Gene Autry who first recorded Rudolph’s song and made it popular.
The much loved, stop motion, animated television special was first produced in 1964 by what was to become Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment and sponsored by the General Electric Fantasy Hour. It has been broadcast annually, on NBC from 1964 to 1971, on CBS from 1972 to 2023, and returning to NBC this holiday season of 2024. This stage production was directed and conceived by Jeff Frank and First Stage.
The following week on Thursday and Friday, December 19th & 20th, the Capitol Theatre will present Hadestown. The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, weaving together two mythic tales, King Hades and his wife Persephone, and the young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice.
Still running on Broadway today, back in January of 2023 Hadestown became the longest-running show at the Walter Kerr Theatre with 918 performances. The Walter Kerr Theatre, previously the Ritz Theatre, was constructed by the Shubert brothers in Midtown Manhattan on 48th Street in 1921. Just a year younger the Capitol Theatre.
Written by American singer-songwriter, Anaïs Mitchell, and directed by Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown mixes Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination in a story that pits industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
With this vast array of amazing productions, there is clearly something for everyone this holiday season at the Capitol Theatre. You may even find several things that you simply can’t afford to miss. Tickets are available at the Capitol Theatre website and box office.
As always, when buying tickets, be extra certain that you are on the Capitol’s website. Ticket resellers are ever more creative in grabbing your attention, but the best seats at the best prices are only available directly from the Capitol Theatre. There are also many other Capitol’s around the country that also present quality performances. Our own Capitol staff from back in the day had the foresight to secure the capitoltheatre.org web address.
From all of us at the Capitol, to you and yours, Happy Holidays and see you in the lobby.
Posted December 01, 2024
