Image from the media night of Firehall Theatre's Christmas on the Air.--NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
No matter how soon one feels is too soon to start celebrating Christmas, Firehall Theatre’s latest production is sure to get the audience in the spirit.
Lucia Frangione’s Christmas on the Air is achingly human, in a way the local cast brings to the fore. The entire story is set through the idea of observing it as a live studio audience to the CKOL Prairie Radio’s holiday show, which adds an interesting layer of vulnerability; the characters are fully aware you’re watching them, through all of the highs and lows of their evening.
The play itself is set in 1949 right here in Medicine Hat, clever adaptations to the script for various ad spots and locations making it feel like merely a step back in time, not in location. The locale choice of the Eresman Theatre is the very same theatre the Frank family has chosen to host their show.
With such a small cast, five actors strong, the show makes space for each member of the CKOL team to shine and show off their chops, from Carrie Matis’s angelic vocals as Sylvia White, to the skilled and often comedic foley work displayed by the cast throughout the entirety of the performance.
Susanne White’s Yolanda Frank is matter of fact and driven with a warm, maternal core, a perfect match for Stewart Boxwell’s Percival B. Frank, who is every inch the stoic patriarch attempting to hold his emotions in check during a difficult time.
Mattea Flaman and Tristen Fournier as Kitty and Danny have a sort of comfortable, real chemistry on stage, making both their disagreements and their eventual fragile foray into romance feel very real. It’s easy to place oneself in the shoes of that audience as they become unwitting witnesses to a series of professional and personal issues.
Through an unexpected baby coming into work with Kitty, a slightly overzealous cooking segment and a very overzealous rendition of reindeer hoofbeats, the “on air” sign hangs above the studio like something of a protective halo, bathing the cozy, festive setup on the stage in a warm glow.
The simple projection of the windows as the snow picks up outside is a subtle reminder of the rising stakes as the storm Kitty reports gets worse, but it seems far away. Both more immediate interpersonal drama and welcome distraction through classic songs and stories take our attention.
Until, of course, that protective light goes out.
This was the emotional crux of the show, and one that won’t soon be forgotten. A breathless, enthralled audience is reminded that they, too, exist in this world, that they are part of this show as they’re encouraged to sing along to carols while the CKOL family huddles around Sylvia’s piano by candlelight.
Christmas on the Air is warm, vulnerable,and real, even in its more lighthearted moments. The only thing that could possibly be missing is a dusting of snow on the way out of the theatre, so viewers can stay in that 1949 a little bit longer.
