Holiday inspiration

WASILLA — On paper it sounds like probably the most basic Christmas story there is — a community comes together in the spirit of the season to overcome adversity.

But organizers say Valley Performing Arts’ production of “King Island Christmas” is anything but a typical VPA performance. The show runs through Dec. 19.

“I’ve been the artistic director for the past four years, but I’ve been with them since their inception,” said VPA’s Larry Bottjen. “This is the most unique, coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

The play tells the story of Christmas Eve, 1951, and what the 150 residents of King Island did when the weather turned rough as their supply ship was due to arrive. The ship was carrying presents and supplies, but also the village priest, Father Carroll. The villagers could not reach the ship in their umiaks, traditional walrus-skinned boats. So they radioed the captain to navigate around to the island’s lee side. The weather there would not be as rough, but without any boats on that side of the island, how do you get from shore out to the ship?

“Carry the darn umiak over the top of the mountain,” Bottjen said.

And that’s how the villagers saved Christmas, he said. They brought the priest and what they needed back to the village and left what they didn’t need on the shore, since once the ocean froze they could walk around and access it easier.

The story was the subject of a popular children’s book illustrated by iconic Alaska artist Rie Munoz, who was once a schoolteacher on the island.

“I used to read that story to my second-graders,” said Bottjean, a former teacher.

The story was eventually turned into a musical play and performed in Southeast Alaska. Bottjean said he heard about it and became curious.

“I found out there was actually a CD that was produced on the show and I immediately, I mean immediately, fell in love with the music,” he said.

So he decided it might be a good fit for VPA.

“It’s something that everyone in Alaska can relate to,” he said. “It’s just so incredibly heartwarming it just makes you sit there and get warm all over.”

But it was also something of a gamble for the theater group. The musical is oratorical – meaning the entire thing is sung. There aren’t the strings of spoken word in between songs like in a lot of musicals. VPA hasn’t ever done an oratorical musical. But, Bottjean said, that didn’t deter the group.

“We can do anything in the Valley because we have a wealth of people with a variety of talents,” he said.

Director Jennifer Dalby said another challenge was deciding what kind of dances and pantomime to put in the play. It didn’t come with much in the way of direction.

“You get the musical score and that’s it. Because it was originally written just to be an oratorical like (Handel’s) Messiah. This person stands up and then when they’re done they sit down,” Dalby said. “There’s no sets for building the sets. There’s no directions of any kind.”

Bottjen said that VPA could have gone that route, but that’s just not how VPA does things.

“Valley Performing Arts has never been one to do something in a minimalist fashion,” Bottjen said.

It was challenging, Dalby said, but also very rewarding.

“To watch it unfold and come to life has been really wonderful, from the beginning to the end,” she said.

There will be dancing. There will be pantomime. And actors are inhabiting every role. There’s even a girl who plays the part of the umiak.

“She’s quite a talented little thing. I think there’s about 10 kids in the show, amazing little singers, really. Jennifer Dalby did a really good job casting the show,” Bottjen said.

In some ways, he said, people who know the story and the play will find it to be familiar. The music, he said, is pretty much the same as on that CD he has.

But VPA has added a few of its own original touches. One of the most important, Dalby said, came from a pair of former Kotzebue residents who live in Palmer. Mary Swisher and Elmer Waller brought Martin Woods down from Kotzebue, and together the three of them taught the cast Alaska Native dancing.

“I just feel it’s added so much to the story that made it really Alaskan,” she said. “They shared so much with the cast. Every rehearsal I feel like the whole cast is learning so much about Inupiaq culture.”

The show opened Nov. 26 and Bottjen said that the reaction, so far, has been extremely positive.

If a show is bad, he said, “It’s easy to tell as the artistic director. Somebody averts their eyes.”

But, far from averted eyes, so far he’s been getting a lot of thumbs-up and enthusiastic feedback. Which is good, he said, because it means he’s found something people like. That’s really his job as artistic director.

“All I’m interested in is, ‘What do you want to see?’” he said.

As far as popularity goes, if ticket sales are any indication, the show is a hit, said Garry Forrester, executive director of VPA. The shows so far have sold out or come close. Three organizations have bought out entire nights either as fund-raisers or to bring their employees.

One of those groups is Family Promise Mat-Su, a non-profit group that helps homeless families in the Mat-Su Borough, which purchased all the tickets to the Dec. 18 show. To purchase tickets to that performance, call 357-6160.

Forrester said “King Island Christmas” is on pace with other big holiday shows, like last year’s “Babes in Toyland.” The Christmas shows tend to be among the most popular in VPA’s season, he said.

“This time of year lends itself to big productions and family-centered things like that,” Forrester said. “People want something they can do with their families. They want to get out of the house.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.