Twenty-seven girls from 26 schools across Atlanta have joined professional actors, Atlanta Children’s Theatre and Horizon Theatre Company to perform the annual holiday musical “Madeline’s Christmas.” In its 14th year, the theatrical production has become a cherished tradition that bridges diverse communities through theater.
The two casts of 12 girls each, plus three understudies, hail from Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb counties, giving a wide range of girls the opportunity to bond through creative collaboration.
Adapted from the classic children’s book series by Ludwig Bemelmans, the script follows Madeline, an adorable French girl who lives with 11 other girls at a Paris boarding school under the care of a warmhearted nun, Miss Clavel. Madeline is known for her contagious gumption and adventurous spirit. The play opens with the 12 girls, dressed in darling red wool cape coats and canotier hats, belting out Bemelmans’ famous words: “In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived 12 little girls in two straight lines. … The smallest one was Madeline.”
The girls and Miss Clavel take a day trip to a zoo, but when they return to school, all but Madeline discover they forgot to wear their scarves in the cold Paris winter. Everyone except Madeline comes down with a feverish cold. Sneezing fits ensue during a musical number aptly titled “Achoo!” Our young heroine is left to care for the girls, who fear they might not be able to go home to their families for Christmas.
In typical Madeline fashion, she saves Christmas when she befriends a rug salesperson, Monsieur Brun, who happens to be a genie with magic carpets. Soon, soaring above the Seine, by the Eiffel Tower and over the Arc de Triomphe, the girls make it home for the holidays.
Credit: Danielle Charbonneau
Credit: Danielle Charbonneau
Performed in an intimate, 160-seat theater in the Little 5 Points Community Center (fittingly, a former schoolhouse), “Madeline’s Christmas” gives audience members ample opportunities to interact with the close-up cast. Some select kids in the crowd are given fake snow to throw during one scene, and all have the option to buy magic wands to illuminate when the genie needs a magic boost.
The use of puppets and effects — a mouse hand puppet, a cardboard giraffe, changing scenes of Paris on a digital screen — add an extra layer of fun. The 70-minute play (with no intermission) keeps a quick clip.
The real hook throughout, of course, is Madeline. Since 1939, the character’s spunk and bravery has tickled readers through multiple generations. Lisa Adler, Horizon’s president for 40 years, remembers reading the Madeline series when she was a girl, and she has gifted books and dolls to her nieces.
“Madeline has been a role model for girls learning to speak their mind, explore their individuality and understand that femininity includes being clever, smart and strong,” Adler writes in the show notes.
Seventeen years ago, when Adler ran into an old acting friend — Spring Mason, artistic director of Atlanta Children’s Theatre Company — they were inspired to partner their companies for a production that would match Horizon’s professional actors with Mason’s child actors. “Madeline’s Christmas” seemed a great fit, and they were correct: The production has been going strong since 2007, minus three years because of the pandemic.
The duo decided that rather than charge kids to take classes to put on the production (a common financial model for children’s theater), they would host auditions across Atlanta, find young performers who were talented enough to warrant ticket purchases and run on what Adler called “the gift economy.” In this arrangement, parents can choose to pay what they want in the form of time, support or money.
“Madeline’s Christmas” has relied on this model ever since. Ticket sales account for less than half the show’s budget, and the rest comes from donors and public arts funding agencies.
“The Madeline model really works,” Adler said. “The holidays are a time when people will take their kids out to things. Not just because it’s theater, but because it’s a holiday. … We’ve decided that it’s sort of our little ‘Nutcracker.’ It recruits the next generation of people.”
Natalie Rogovin’s family has been coming to the show for nine years. Her daughter Maefaire, now 12, from the Paideia School in Druid Hills, was only 4 the first time she attended “Madeline’s Christmas.”
“There’s a scene in the show where the girls have a pillow fight, and she always said, ‘I want to be in that pillow fight scene,’” Natalie Rogovin recalled.
This year, Maefaire Rogovin got her wish. After she auditioned, competing with more than 100 girls for the 27 spots, she was cast as Mary in one of the show’s two casts.
Credit: Danielle Charbonneau
Credit: Danielle Charbonneau
As a deposit to the “gift economy,” Natalie Rogovin was the volunteer controlling the steady flow of opening night audience members into a room where, after every show, the young cast members sign autographs. The room was abuzz with girls who seemed to be the best of friends, even though few of the 27 actresses had met before October.
Bridging disparate communities has always been one of Adler’s goals for “Madeline’s Christmas.”
“We wanted it to be a citywide opportunity. We cast the best ensemble of kids that reflects the diversity of Atlanta,” she said. “When they get out the other end, they are young women with great amounts of confidence in themselves and great friendships.”
Tania Vasser, the mother of Anari Vasser — a 10-year-old from DeKalb Arts Academy who played Madeline on opening night — agreed.
Anari “has made an overwhelming amount of friends,” her mom said. “They FaceTime quite often. They go over their lines in group chats. … We’ve (the parents) actually gained some dinner partners and friends as well.”
Tania Vassar was astounded by opening night.
“I knew (Anari) was going to knock our socks off, but I just didn’t know how much,” she said. “I’m so emotional … and then to know that there’s a future in it for her, it just blew me away.”
Of the roughly 330 girls who have appeared in “Madeline’s Christmas” over its 14 years at Horizon, some have gone on to successful acting careers. One went on national tour with “Matilda,” Adler said, and another was cast in a Canadian television series.
“And a lot of them are very quickly doing the movies and television stuff in Atlanta because there’s such a demand,” she said.
Kymberli Green, who plays Mrs. Murphy, said watching the girls connect and learn throughout the process was beautiful.
“I think theater is an invaluable, important healer and merger of all backgrounds,” she said.
The girls, who had long rehearsals every Saturday, Sunday and Monday for 10 weeks, learned discipline, collaboration, cooperation, respect and teamwork, Adler said.
“It’s similar to what sports teaches in a way,” she said. “Of course, theater builds a lot of empathy for others too.”
In the end, the process of creating the show taught the same values Madeline does: to embrace new things, spread loving kindness and approach life boldly.
If you go
“Madeline’s Christmas”
Through Dec. 31. $20 adults; $15 ages 21 and under; $10 for school and home-school groups for school-day matinees. The play is appropriate for ages 3 and up. 1083 Austin Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-584-7450, horizontheatre.com.
