LOGAN – The Lyric Repertory Company will reprise its highly successful, original one-man show Christmas in Montpelier as a benefit on Friday, Dec. 12.
Based on the book of childhood recollections by Utah State University historian F. Ross Peterson, the stage adaptation was penned by local theatre aficionado Mary Heers, according to Richie Call, the chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at USU.
“This show was first produced as a fundraiser for the Lyric Repertory Company in December of 2024,” Call explains. “This remounting is an extended version for those who were unable to join us last year or who just want to see it again.”
The benefit performance is slated for one-night only with Call, the artistic director of the Lyric Rep, appearing as a young Ross Peterson.
The script of Christmas in Montpelier reminds us all that, not very long ago, Christmas wasn’t our modern-day orgy of capitalism fueled by buying on credit.
In the late 1940s and 1950s when Peterson was a youngster living a rather hardscrabble upbringing in Montpelier, Christmas was a more heartfelt holiday, during which neighbors often exchanged homemade gifts – or vital necessities — that really meant something to both the giver and the recipient.
As it was back in December, Christmas in Montpelier is made up of several vignettes from Peterson’s slim volume that Ms. Heers simplified while still preserving the integrity and authenticity of the author’s voice.
Some of those vignettes are amusing, some wistful and other downright serious. Thanks to Call’s brilliant interpretation of Peterson’s recollections, each of those tales has a moral as young Ross learns valuable life lessons year after year.
Tickets for the benefit performance of Christmas in Montpelier range from $20 to $40 and can be obtained by going online to https://utahstateaggies.evenue.net/events/SHOW8
The benefit production will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre of the Chase Fine Arts Center on the USU campus.