The impact of Chicago Kids Company performances goes pretty far.
“I was in the Cancun airport and saw a child with one of our T-shirts on,” cast member Sharon Carr said. “That was kind of crazy.”
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of its original musical production, “Mrs. Claus! A Holiday Musical,” the Chicago-based children’s theater company is running three concurrent productions throughout Chicagoland to reach even more youth.
“Because it’s become such a tradition to so many families in Chicago with our main production, we thought it would be really great to just spread that joy — because we love that show so much — to these other theaters and families,” co-founder and Artistic Director Jesus Perez said.
Local productions will run Dec. 5-23 at the Beverly Arts Center in Chicago, Dec. 11-22 at Pheasant Run Mainstage Theater in St. Charles. The show will also be performed Dec. 6-22 at Stahl Family Theater in Chicago. Performances at Beverly Arts Center are at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10-13, Dec. 16-20, and Dec. 23; noon Dec. 13 and Dec. 19-20; and 1 p.m. Dec. 14, and Dec. 21-22. Performances at Pheasant Run are at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 11-13 and Dec. 18-20; and 1 p.m. Dec. 14-15 and Dec. 21-22.
“For the first time, we will have three different Mrs. Clauses,” said Perez, who is directing the Pheasant Run production. “And I say that because our original, Sharon Carr, she’s been our Mrs. Claus for all 20 years and never missed a performance. So she is Mrs. Claus. There is no doubt. She is the real thing.”
Carr, who will once again reprise the roll of Mrs. Claus at the Beverly Arts Center, said playing the beloved character has become her own seasonal tradition.
“It’s fun,” she said. “It’s kind of not holiday season now without having played her.”
The hour-long musical, which was written by Perez and composed by Chicago Kids Company co-founder and Executive Producer Paige Coffman, tells the story of how Mrs. Claus and the newly graduated class of elves work to save Christmas from the Fusspots.
“The villains are coming from the South Pole, and they want to steal the Christmas List because they want to give their toys out for Christmas because their toys are not as good as Santa’s toys, so that parents will have to spend more money buying more toys for the kids,” Perez said. “Mrs. Claus and the elves have to save the list and save Christmas before Santa finds out.”
Like other Chicago Kids Company productions, the show features upbeat, energetic songs and the audience becomes part of the solution. Here, the children help create the new list for Santa.
“It’s a really magical moment when they all yell out their names and they put it in the Christmas computer and the new list comes out and their names are on it,” Perez said. “They’re certainly a big part of saving Christmas with Mrs. Claus.”
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“It’s really cute because the kids get so involved in the situation of what’s going on,” Carr said. “We hang out with the kids after the show in the lobby. And so the kids are always … ‘did you see my name on the list?'”
Many families have told Perez and Carr that seeing the musical is part of their holiday tradition and gets them in the spirit of the season, they said. Last year a young woman thanked Perez for doing the show each year. She started seeing it when she was 2 years old, but was now leaving for college and it was likely her last year seeing it. Parents who brought their children in the show’s early years are now bringing grandchildren.
“I have a lot of families that for many, many years have seen me do the play, for 10-15 years,” Carr said. “That’s kind of cool that they come up to me and say, ‘we’re so glad you’re here. We’ve seen you every year for 12 years.'”
“The Christmas show has become very important to us because of that. I know we do it every day with all of our other shows,” Perez said. “But you know how Christmas comes with a tall order and if we meet that magic need and touch people the right way, it becomes a big deal. And we certainly feel like we’ve done it with ‘Mrs. Claus.’ So that’s why we’re excited to do it at these three locations.”
‘Mrs. Claus! A Holiday Musical’
When: Dec. 5-23
Where: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago
When: Dec. 11-22
Where: Pheasant Run Mainstage Theater, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $14-$18. Children under 2 who sit in lap are free
Information: 773-205-9600; www.chicagokidscompany.com
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.