The Egyptian Theatre Company’s production of “A Rented Christmas” is a foray into unfamiliar terrain for director Paul Tan.
“I haven’t done many musicals before and I’m not a singer by trade,” Tan said during an interview with The Park Record. “So this is quite different for me and I rely heavily on different choreographers and music directors. Our musical director is Tanya Taylor and she is phenomenal with the music aspect of the production, and the singing is tremendous.
“It’s all about the team you put into place,” he said. “As a director, directing is not all about you. You may be the head of the ship, but it’s the whole rest of the team that makes the real difference.”
“A Rented Christmas,” written by Norman C. Ahern, Jr., and Yvonne Ahern, is based on a short story by J. Lillian about John Dale, a man who doesn’t have a family, but wants a real Christmas. It tells how he rents a family and Christmas carolers from shop owner Anne Weston.
“I read the play five to 10 times before I started getting a feel for what I wanted it to kind of look like,” Tan said. “If I were to describe it visually, the play begins with a cold-blue feeling, and over the arc of the story, it warms up as Dale slowly realizes what he’s been missing is right in front of him.
“What he doesn’t realize is while he’s trying to fill the hole in his life with a family, he really wants to fill the hole in his heart.”
The cast includes Nate Sears and Stephanie Ogden, who have extensive theatre and film experience.
“Nate is a local actor and Stephanie is local to the region, but not so much to Park City,” Tan said. “They are great actors in their own right and they make a great couple.”
One of the joys about directing “A Rented Christmas” is that the play, since it was adapted from a short story, doesn’t have a lot of reference points.
“It contains music that is based on recognizable Christmas carols,” Tan said. “But a lot of the musical aspect also surrounds original music. So there is not a lot of preconceived notions of how it should be put together. The production is created from what we think it should look and sound like. And that’s fun.”
When approached to direct a holiday play, Tan, a director who is also known for the Egyptian Theatre Company production of “The Follies,” knew he wanted to do something different than the staple heartwarming holiday fare.
“The Egyptian was interested in doing a different Christmas play as opposed to the regular ‘Christmas-Carol’ kinds of productions,” he said. “So we looked around and tried to find some different ideas.”
“A Rented Christmas” was discovered by one of the company’s board members, said Tan, who immediately saw its potential.
“I thought it was a great story that could always be told over again,” he said. “There are a lot of the contrasts of our world that are some of the important aspects of the play. We have the rich and poor; the haves and have-nots, and we have those people that always seem to want something different in their life.
“I’ve found life sometimes seems to be almost more about what you don’t have than what you have,” he said. “And that idea makes up the funny and serious poignant parts of ‘A Rented Christmas,’ which is a play all ages can enjoy.”
Tan said the holiday season just calls for this sort of Christmas musical.
“Everybody can see a piece of themselves on the stage and in this play,” he said. “Everyone can relate to some degree to some of the characters or their situations.
“When you see something you really like, it’s usually because it reflects something inside of you, “Tan said. “This is true, especially in theatre, because it’s something so personal and real (unfolding) right in front of you.
“Compared to the modern day computer generated films out there nowadays that tell you what to enjoy, theatre allows you to make your own decisions about what you enjoy.”
As in any play he’s directed or acted in, Tan said the reward of “A Rented Christmas” is character development.
“I love watching the actors, who start with printed words on a page, develop and turn these words into characters who are real and breathing things,” he said. “The characters interact and have lives and histories and futures. They’re on stage for that short period of time where all of that is reflected in their lines and actions.”
As a director, Tan said getting everyone together for rehearsals is a juggling act.
“This is somewhat of a community production,” he said. “So you have the logistical challenges of schedules during a busy time of year. But once we get the actors together and the energy starts to develop, it’s so enjoyable. I could do that all the time.”
Tan also said his experience directing different types of performances has prepared him for “A Rented Christmas.”
“My background is directing ‘The Park City Follies,’ and it’s a completely different kind of production,” he said. “‘The Follies’ is a thrown-together production. And people have told me if I can herd those cats, I can do a full-blown production like this.”
The Egyptian Theatre Company will present “A Rented Christmas,” at the Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main Street, starting Friday, Dec. 10, through Thursday, Dec. 23. ShowTime Monday through Saturday is 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees every Saturday. Sunday performances begin at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 12 and younger. They can be purchased by calling 649-9371 or visiting www.egyptiantheatre.comany.org