This month’s community theater productions bring holiday feels

Nostalgia plays a pivotal role in Lewiston Civic Theatre’s production of “Annie the Musical,” opening at 7 p.m. tonight at the Normal Hill Campus in the old Lewiston High School auditorium, 1114 Ninth Ave.

“I think what’s so good about ‘Annie’ is people forget how nostalgic it is … what a slice of American pop culture it is,” director Andy Meyers said in a recent phone interview.

The Depression-era rags-to-riches story about a spunky orphan isn’t just for children, Meyers said. Onlookers of all ages were singing along when cast members performed during the recent Winter Spirit lighting ceremony at Lewiston’s Locomotive Park.

Each audience member brings a different perspective — maybe they’re fans of one of the musical’s film adaptations; maybe they’ve seen the stage production. In Meyers’ case, his memories are from performing for about a year in the Broadway national tour.

“I do think this production’s going to be special, because I learned it from (lyricist and director Martin Charnin), so hopefully I’ve been able to give our cast insight into the creator’s brain,” Meyers said. “I feel fortunate. … Martin passed away a couple of years ago (so it) feels cool to do a little part to keep the legacy going.”

Meyers, who splits his time between New York City and Fort Peck, Mont., where he’s artistic director for the Fort Peck Summer Playhouse, grew up in Missoula. That’s where he met Lewiston Civic Theatre Executive Director and former Missoula resident Nancy McIntosh, who invited him to guest-direct “Annie.” (He also was a classmate of Nate Schweber, the Everybody Reads author featured in the Nov. 7 issue of Inland 360).

Meyers wasn’t alone in remarking on the memories the show evokes.

“I think ‘Annie’ is a really special story because a lot of people grew up with it,” Monica Evans, who plays Lily St.Regis, said before a recent rehearsal.

Evans, whose “Annie” memories include a 1990s movie version and seeing the show on stage, praised the children playing Annie and the other orphans — roles double-cast for this show — not only for picking up their lines remarkably quickly but for bringing authentic emotion to their scenes.

“The themes of optimism and being a shining light through hard times (resonate today),” she said. “To hear that through children is especially poignant.”

Adding to the period feel, the production’s black-and-white set — designed by recent University of Montana Master of Fine Arts graduate Jay Michael Roberts, constructed by Mike Chastain and painted by Kymee Martinak — evokes 1930s newspaper comics and makes the colorful costumes pop, Meyers said.

Ryan Kendall, who plays Daddy Warbucks, is performing in his first Lewiston Civic Theatre show, though he’s not new to community theater, having appeared in a couple of Regional Theatre of the Palouse shows in Pullman.

He’s enjoyed seeing how his fellow actors interpret their characters and make them their own, Kendall said.

“The vocal talents are also insanely impressive,” he said. “The harmonies: You just get chills, even when you’re participating in it.”

“Annie” performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Dec. 14 and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 15.

Tickets, $12-$20, are at lctheatre.org.

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Pullman Civic Theatre’s production of “Auntie Scrooge,” billed as “a comical, backwards ‘Christmas Carol’ ” opens at 7 p.m. Friday at Nye Street Theatre, 1220 NW Nye St.

The “radio-onstage production” continues at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays through Dec. 14 and 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 15.

The show, a “whimsical twist” on Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” is set in modern times and follows “a kindly, old ice cream company owner in Connecticut who faces off against conniving underlings trying to replace traditional eggnog with bubble tea,” according to the Pullman Civic Theatre Facebook page.

The silliness continues as, “in true Scrooge family fashion, Auntie is visited not by Jacob Marley, but by the ghost of reggae star Bob Marley, dressed in dreadlocks and a Santa suit.”

Tickets, $15-$20, are at pullmancivictheatre.org

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Moscow-based APOD Productions brings a true story to the stage with “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914,” starting next week at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, 508 S. Main St.

The show, at 7 p.m. Dec. 13-14 and 2 p.m. Dec. 14-15, tells the story of the impromptu Christmas Day truce between German and Allied troops during the first year of World War I, according to an APOD news release.

The script, based on letters and journals from the soldiers describing their experiences, comes to life through the cast of 11 men, performing an entirely a capella score.

“The show features traditional Christmas songs and period folk songs arranged for male vocals,” music director Peter Hanes, who also performs in the show, said in the news release. “The songs are used to better express the touching story.”

Tickets, $8-$22, are at apodproductions.org. !

— Mary Stone, Inland 360