Who Stole Christmasfrom Mississippi Mills? Who? Who?

Who Stole Christmasfrom Mississippi Mills? Who? Who? - theHumm November 2019

By — Heather Phaneuf

Disgruntled are you? Could it be the pre-winter blues? The looming holly-daze? Or are you fundamentally concerned about the suspicious red boxes that traipsed willy-nilly through last month’s Humm? Hmmm? You should be!

Something is amiss in Mississippi Mills. Something is horribly wrong. Someone is ranting about Almonte, Pakenham, Ramsay and why the heck isn’t it called Alpakram? Almapakarama? Ramalamapakahama-ding-dong? Why wouldn’t you be concerned?

Solve the mystery! Grab a ticket to the holiday production of Who Stole Christmas from Mississippi Mills? Your heart will grow three sizes! Your civic pride will shine! Your giggle will find a happy home and a smile will crack your face! Ouch. Never you mind, the stage is set and it’s all about the community love around us and within us.

Rob Riendeau, the inspired writer and co-producer of the play, talked about a long drive last fall with Kris, his life-partner and self-declared Grinch purist. They reminisced about how much fun community plays were when, “one thing led to another and we just started brainstorming what a new Christmas show could look like…”. Then they got a wonderful, awful idea! It was so good they booked the venue before the play was even written.

Rehearsals ooze a boisterous energy. Director and choreographer Kris leads a talented troupe of brave, creative community folk to breathe in, breathe out and carry the lines of the play to the rafters. Nearby you might see Christine Moses, co-producer with Rob, and actor in her own right, possibly wielding knitting needles because, “when the cast is being really rowdy… knitting reminds people of their granny and they tend to calm down”. They’ve done it again and again for months. Each scene now sparkles.

And what a cast! How can any of us wait to see Mike McCormick of the Arrogant Worms release his inner angst as the grinchiest of Grinchs? Or Ed Lawrence, that gallivanting CBC star with horticultural leanings, narrate the goings-on and, um, sing?

And there’s more! A Mayor who can regruntle your disgruntlement, Millians and Things (count two won’t you?), dahling Miss Mills, dazzling Jingle Belles singing in three-part harmony, a little Cindy Lou, a reporter, a videographer, Instagrammers, a farmer, a director, a piper (you may know who), actors, actresses, an Ainslie and Santa too. Musicians to woo you. A cow to moo you. And a dog.

Sets are the Seussian visions of Valerie de Winter and Ken Kicksee. Audacious costumes are cleverly crafted by Ingrid Hamster. There be puppets jostling shoulder-to-knee with humans, through the talents of Noreen Young, Stephen Brathwaite and others. Characters a-glow in holiday brightness through make-up by Dalene Gallo, and hair and wig stylings of Stefan Kaleb.

Beyond being loads of fun, we all know that theatre can connect community and here in Mississippi Mills it does indeed have a certain pedigree. No surprise at all that many in the production team and cast have been hands-on in past events. Think Fern Martin’s Trashdance, A Peak at Pakenham and Phantom of the Hubera; A Mississippi Mills Christmas Carol (written by Allan Martin for Noreen Young as a fundraiser for Puppets Up!); and Sleeping Rough, a tragic puppet opera performed this year at the Music and Beyond Festival.

Says Kris, “I had the great fortune to have been involved in the Valley Players of Almonte back in the day. There are probably a lot of people who go into the Almonte Old Town Hall auditorium nowadays and have no idea how much that organization contributed to turning the space from a dusty storage loft to the stunning venue it is today. There are a lot of new people coming into the community theatre scene in town, and my feeling is that the time is right to create something new. This show is the first tentative step along that uncharted path for Rob and me.”

Sure, I walked into a local café and was literally assailed (wassailed?) to write this article. They had me at the ask. But YOU, you can get tickets just because you want to! And, not to be too Grinchy about it, by the time the world hears Ed Lawrence singing I Found My Thrills in Mississippi Mills on CBC radio with Mike McCormick accompanying him on piano, well. Whoosh.

Mark your calendar for one of the shows being offered up December 12, 13, 14 or 15 (matinées on the 14th and 15th) in the Ron Caron Auditorium of the Almonte Old Town Hall. As of November 1, tickets are available in Almonte from Mill Street Books, Baker Bob’s and 8008 Lingerie or online at whostolechristmasfrommm.com. Early bird tickets are $23 until November 15 and then they go up the chimney to $28. If history is any indicator, they’ll be flying of the shelf. And why wouldn’t they?

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The Algonquin Ensemble Premieres Stunning New Production - theHumm November 2019

The Algonquin Ensemble has created a stunning new production and it’s coming to the First Unitarian in Ottawa on Saturday, November 30 and to the Almonte United Church on Sunday, December 1. Canadian Winterscapes is a multi-media journey celebrating the untamed beauty and indomitable spirit of a Canadian winter through music, art and photography. With moving pieces from the ensemble’s acclaimed début production Sonic Palette, uplifting arrangements of traditional seasonal repertoi......

Who Stole Christmasfrom Mississippi Mills? Who? Who? - theHumm November 2019