Discover Christmas at the St. Albert Children's Theatre annual production

PREVIEW It's a Wonderful Life and Elf The Musical Jr. St. Albert Children's Theatre Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 Arden Theatre 5 St. Anne Street Tickets: Adult $28, children/seniors $22. Call 780-459-1542 or at http://www.ticketmaster.ca

There are a lot of magical Christmas shows to enjoy this winter. One of the best is the 36th annual St. Albert Children's Theatre winter production. This year artistic director Janice Flower follows last year's big success story of  mounting a double bill. She is introducing the classic period piece It's a Wonderful Life paired with the more contemporary Elf The Musical Jr. running Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 at Arden Theatre. "I love this pairing. It's a Wonderful Life is awesome. It's a bit more serious. It's fantastic and shows we can handle something meatier. Elf is just the opposite. It's a lot of zany fun. If this doesn't get people in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will," said Flower. For many people Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life is their popular go-to Christmas TV special. It's one of those movies that is ageless and has held-up well with time. Flower explains that when the Jimmy Stewart-Donna Reed film first screened in 1946, it did poorly at the box office. It became lost in the vaults of Liberty Films until it fell in the shadowy no-man's land of the public domain. Since the movie was no longer under copyright, television stations could show it very cheaply or at no cost. Budget-conscious stations picked it up in the early ’70s and used the saga of the small-town hero George Bailey as counter-programming against more expensive holiday specials. "Television stations inadvertently made it into a classic," said Flower. She read a dozen versions of the one-act drama before settling on James W. Rodgers interpretation based on Capra's film. In the movie, George Bailey (Ben Brown) is a stand-up guy who never makes it out of small town Bedford Falls. Like every young man, he dreams of travelling to far away places, but things pop up that keep him at home. He takes family responsibilities seriously, especially to his family savings and loan association. When his absent-minded uncle misplaces a large amount of funds during the Christmas season, it appears the business may collapse. George contemplates suicide when a 2nd class angel named Clarence (Declan Finlay) saves him. Clarence transports George through time and reveals the people he loves would be much worse off without him. "George is a very nice guy. He's a big dreamer and he has high hopes for the future. He has a huge heart and is willing to give up his dreams to help his brother and some others," said Grade 12 St. Albert Catholic High School student Natalie LaBuick, who plays Mary, George's loving, steadfast wife. LaBuick, a veteran of the theatre company, has acted in 14 shows since she first stepped on stage as an Oompa Loompa in Willy Wonka and Chocolate Factory at age eight. Unlike minor roles from the past, this major part requires LaBuick to plumb Mary's depths as a wife, mother of four and romantic partner. "She has the biggest heart. She has an appreciation for the littlest things. When things get hard for George, she always pulls through. She's a very loving person," LaBuick said. In a more modern spin, Elf The Musical Jr. recaps the 2003 Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel movie that later premiered on Broadway in 2010 with music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. In the musical, Buddy, an orphaned baby boy accidentally crawls into Santa's (Ben Oomen) sack on Christmas Eve while the jolly old man is delivering gifts. Unaware he has an extra passenger, Santa returns to the North Pole. Buddy is raised as an elf and years later is shocked to discover he's a human. With Santa's blessing, he returns to New York City to find his birth family. When he arrives at the Big Apple, he finds New Yorkers lack the Christmas spirit. And his father (Matt Boisvert), is a bad-tempered publisher of children's books more interested in a pay-cheque than spending time with family. "It's about acceptance. When Buddy first comes to New York, his dad isn't that keen to meet him. But Buddy wiggles into your heart," Flower said. Cameron Chapman, a MacEwan University musical theatre graduate originally from Red Deer, has nabbed the juicy role of the joyously, infectious man-elf. "I like how he is full of youthful energy. He's been raised by elves. He's never known anything else. He's not the best at making toys, but he makes up for it with his enthusiasm," said Chapman. "Sometimes he can get a little much at inopportune times and he pushes people's buttons. He's excitable, outgoing, happy, naive and loud." Buddy's brightly coloured costume and bouncy attitude immediately peg him as a fish out of water. But even a fish out of water has a few words of wisdom. "It's never too late to grow as a person. Christmas isn't just about giving presents. It's about being around family." Set and costume designer Marissa Kochanski, who works primarily in the company's Campbell Park workshop, has assembled attire for 37 actors in two shows, some with as many as six costume changes. With a next-to-nothing budget, the costumes were pulled primarily from company stock and second-hand thrift stores. During one sale, she found 12 green work jackets for the elves. She bought the multiples at $3 a pop. "One of my favourite places is LoSeCa next door. During their clear-out summer sale, I bought a mountain of clothes for $1 a piece," said Kochanski with a laugh. "It's very exciting for me. It's a quest. I feel like a modern treasure hunter. It's the thrill of the chase." And the set, which must lend itself to two shows, is very neutral with a main level, two side platforms, a balcony and a set of double doors. "Everything flows very smoothly. The less amount of things you move, the more poetic it is especially for It's a Wonderful Life. It's very dreamy and I tried to make it as poetic as possible." One prop audiences can look forward to is a red, moving Santa sleigh that bucks a bit. It was built by theatre stalwarts Kris Aasen and Brad Weir. Kochanski calls the costumes and set "walking art." "In a way, it can be like an orchestral score. Sometimes it's better if you don't notice it. It just sets the mood and shows people going about their day-to-day life." Directors, designers, production crew and actors with differing viewpoints have spent a great many hours perfecting the program. Yet everyone is working towards the same goal. Chapman expressed everyone's thoughts by saying, " I want people to leave the theatre feeling warmer. Come one night. See It's a Wonderful Life and Elf. They're two contrasting stories, but you will leave feeling happier and ready for the Christmas."