By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
"He's a little misfit, and I can identify with that. I think we all can."
That's why actress Sarah Errington thinks she's such a good fit as the title character in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, returning to Amarillo as a bonus show in the Broadway Spotlight Series season. It will be staged at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Tickets are $40 to $60, plus fees. (Note: The article originally had an incorrect location.)
The stage production is an adaptation of the iconic 1964 Rankin-Bass television special, bringing to life everyone from Rudolph to his buddies Hermey and Yukon Cornelius, even the Island of Misfit Toys.
First mounted by First Stage in Milwaukee and readapted by Dallas’ Wishing Star Productions, the production first came to Amarillo in 2015. This tour launched in November with Errington reprising her role as Rudolph from the show's 2016 tour.
"It's a blast," Errington said. "I consider myself really lucky. ... I love playing Rudolph. He's great."
It's a faithful interpretation of the TV special, she said. (Down to the casting: Rudolph was voiced by a female actor, Billie Mae Richards, in the special, too.)
"We all did training with Character Arts (which licensed the TV special) — voice training, so we'd have all the inflections down," Errington said. "We are going from a Claymation medium into a live-action medium, so some things (are different). We have to make it dynamic enough for the stage.
"We are making our own choices, but there are no surprises either," she continued. "Our goal is to make sure it's the movie people love."
She's one of those people, in fact.
"I remember watching the TV special with my grandparents and my parents and my twin brother and sister," she said. "It's a lovely memory and a tradition from year to year that that's the movie you watch. It's part of the holiday season.
"To be able to bring that to families in another form is truly a gift," Errington continued. "This one is definitely fulfilling and worthwhile."
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
