THEATRE: FEATURE INTERVIEWS
3 Dec'10

THEIR GIFT OF CHRISTMAS

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

It takes a special kind of person to give up Christmas for others.

And fortunately for us, performers — actors, singers, dancers, musicians— have always been a special kind of people. As for how special, well - judge for yourself. With four holiday-themed shows hitting Toronto stages in the next few weeks, we've asked just a few of those special people what it's like to be on the boards when everyone around them is celebrating one of the happiest holidays of the year.


ROSS PETTY, appearing in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE SAVAGELY SILLY FAMILY MUSICAL running at the Elgin Theatre, opening Dec. 2




For 24 years, Ross Petty has been working harder than most of Santa's elves to ensure kids of all ages have a memorable Christmas — and, by way of a thank you, he's resoundingly booed every time he sets foot on stage. He wouldn't have it any other way.

As producer of Ross Petty Productions' annual panto — think all the beloved traditional British Yuletide theatrical nonsense, with a touch of hilarious Hogtown tradition thrown in — Petty has his pick of roles. Invariably, he casts himself as villain — evil sheriff, wicked step-mother or just all-round bad guy — and in the process, he's become the man that Toronto's younger set simply loves to hate.

He also does a lot of the leg work, from deciding which fairytale to deconstruct for the annual offering, to casting, to finding production sponsors and keeping them happy. Inevitably, he says: "The big crunch comes. And that's when I say 'You really have to quit going out on that stage.'"

And with wife Karen Kain, erstwhile prima ballerina, now artistic director of the National Ballet, up to her lovely neck in THE NUTCRACKER, home offers precious little respite. "There is no normalcy for us at Christmas" he concedes with a laugh. "When we do get together with our family Christmas day, it's like two zombies sitting in a corner."

And while he insists that, at some point, he's going to limit his role to merely that of a producer, and leave the acting to others — "I have to," he says, "I'm not Chris Plummer." — he knows that giving it up will not be easy. "I'm like a race horse, right? I need to get out there at this time every year."

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JOE ZIEGLER, appearing in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Young Centre, opening Dec. 6



Joe Ziegler's lost count of the times he's played Scrooge in Soulpepper's enduring adaptation of Dickens' Christmas tale, but "I think it's like the fifth," he says. And he's raring to go again.

"To play a great part in a great play is a great gift," he says. "You can make improvements. I wasn't in my 50s the first time I did Scrooge and now I'm well into my 50s. I've lived a lot of life since the first time I did it."

In those earlier productions, it was not uncommon to find one of Ziegler's three sons on stage with him, but even though they've grown too old and too robust to play Tiny Tim, it still feels like a family occasion. "I've known these people most of my life," he says of a cast that includes not only director Michael Shamata, but actors like Oliver Dennis and Deborah Drake. "When we go back to this play, it's like family."

For Ziegler, performing in the round brings him even closer to the part and to his audience. "You feel like you're right there amongst them. You're aware of what they feel all through the play. There's not a lot of scenery. It's pure story and that's what is captivating to a lot of people. They just want this great story to be told to them."

And while it takes time away from familial celebration with wife Nancy Palk, he's not complaining. "We've got Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day," he says happily. "I don't need much more of a break than that. I love doing this story."

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HEATHER OGDEN, appearing in THE NUTCRACKER at the Four Seasons Centre, opening Dec. 11



Heather Ogden, now principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, has grown up with THE NUTCRACKER. "I've done so many roles coming through the company," she recalls, adding that those roles often paralleled her own growth. "One year, I was the small snow flake, then I was the medium, then large," she says. "Then I was the Snow Queen."

Regardless of what role she's dancing however, of one thing she is sure.
"It's a busy time of year," she says. "There's a lot going on. You're physically exhausted for the Christmas season, trying to run between shows and do Christmas shopping." But she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm somebody who really likes tradition," she says, adding that she knows the ballet is a tradition in a lot of families. "It's attached to Christmas, which is a nice time of year." (made even nicer, no doubt, in Ogden's case by her birthday that falls on Dec. 24.) "I love how much the kids love it. During NUTCRACKER, some of the best shows are matinees. You get to be that little girl's dream."

And speaking of dreams, this year, she'll be dancing five performances as the Sugar Plum Fairy, every one opposite her newly minted husband, principal dancer Guillaume Côté's Nutcracker. The two were married this past summer and although they've danced these roles together in previous years, Ogden is delighted they are paired for all five performances this time around. "I mean, I'm lucky to have a lot of partners, but for this role especially — we have a few ballets that we really like to be together for, and this is one of them. My tradition is doing it with Guillaume," she says quietly.

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ANDREW BOETCHER, appearing in DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS: THE MUSICAL at the Sony Centre, opening Dec. 17



As the touring production of the Dr. Seuss classic makes its way to Toronto, 22-year-old Andrew Boetcher finds himself on occasion forsaking the role of old Max and stepping into the limelight as understudy to Stefan Karl, cast as the Grinch.

In fact, that's precisely what happened to the young Columbia, MD native the day before we tracked him down in Arizona, where the show was playing. "It was pretty fantastic," he reports, " Being in full costume and full make-up, you can pretty well say anything and they will pretty well buy it as you being Grinchy."

When it comes to Christmas on the road, however, Boetcher is unbothered by the whole notion that the Grinch will steal his Christmas, which traditionally has been spent back home. "It will be my first Christmas away from home and my parents," he says, "But I'm definitely excited to spend it with my Whoville family."

And he doesn't used the term 'family' lightly. "We pretty much became family during the three weeks of rehearsal (in New York)," he says, adding that being on the road only strengthens that bond. "I gotta say, if I was able to spend next Christmas doing this show, then I would be perfectly happy," he says. "You get to experience a bit of Christmas magic every day.