By Kady Cramer
Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Co., 702 Blue Ridge Ext. in Grandview, will kick off its 39th season with the holiday performance of A Christmas Canine on December 8. Running through January 1, the show will pay homage to the old fashion television holiday specials featuring Andy Williams, Judy Garland, and Carol Burnett. The Melodrama’s founder and managing director Jeanne Beechwood has adapted the original script which they presented in 1985.
“The show is very reminiscent of the ‘laugh out loud’, ‘forget your worries’ tv specials”, says Beechwood. “The modern family of 1985, when we started, is probably different for entertainment resources than 2023. While some say if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, you still have to make the jokes current and relevant for the audience.”
In the storyline of A Christmas Canine, the actors set to perform A Christmas Carol have all dropped out of the show except for two – Beechwood and newcomer Frank Spriggs who plays Scrooge. Regardless, the show must go on as the two-man show continues to perform. And who should save the day but the Melodrama’s senior rescue dogs playing all the parts. As Beechwood does the voiceovers for the pups, the pair will actually be the only actors on the stage as well as behind the scenes taking on all roles. Of course, that makes the joke, and hilarity will inevitably ensue.
“I just feel like having done this for 39 years, that the audience will have a lot of fun,” says Beechwood.
Spriggs came across the Martin City Melodrama when he attended the 2022 Christmas show with his nine-year-old son. Originally from Ohio, Spriggs moved from Oklahoma to Lenexa seven years ago. Having a brief college background in Music Education, Spriggs has always had a flair for the stage.
“I’ve always had a passion and a drive to express my artistic self,” says Spriggs. “So, when an opportunity came up to get back on the stage, I took a chance. I called Jeanne up to ask if I could audition for a show and she agreed.”
This past April, Englewood Arts in Independence hired the Melodrama to do a spoof on The Wizard of Oz called The Wizard of Paws. This would be Spriggs’ first performance back on the stage in 25 years, cast as the Lion.
“I think what’s really fun about the Melodrama is that we always bring the audience into the show,” says Spriggs. “There’s some breaking of the fourth wall.”
A Canine Christmas will also include the Vaudeville’s signature holiday water glass performance when wine glasses and glass bottles are filled to a certain point with liquid and then played by spoons.
Having some musical experience, Spriggs learned to play the water glasses on the spot. A surprise to this writer, there is actually sheet music for the art form. Jon Copeland, a musical director and teacher at Mill Creek in Lenexa, wrote all the original music (including the water glasses routine) for the show.
“I had to be able to read the music and get the rhythms of it,” says Spriggs. The water glasses are a nice musical aspect to the show. That’s why I think these shows have a little bit for everybody.”
The show will feature six senior rescue dogs with the oldest, a blind Chihuahua named Abe, coming in at 23 years old. Abe came to the theater in 2018 as a hospice dog predicted to have only a couple months left to live. Five years later he’s still performing. The show will also introduce first-time dachshund ‘paw-former’ Fiona who is 14 years old and comes from Melissa’s Second Chances Animal Rescue.
“The dogs love the attention,” says Beechwood. “Normally after the show people want to come up to take pictures with and pet the dogs.”
Between performances Beechwood fosters the senior dogs at her home.
“Our goal is to bring people together, to provide relief from holiday stresses,” Beechwood said. “If we can get more senior dogs into loving homes while giving a great performance, our holiday wish comes true.”
Tickets for the holiday show are $10 each with discounts for large groups and non-profit organizations. Refreshments will be for sale at the snack bar. For show times and more information, visit martincitymelodrama.org. Reservations required.
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