The Lantern: Christmas Musical Virtually Comes to Columbus
Based on the book written by Denise McGowan Tracy, “Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish — The Musical” tells the story of a rag doll named Eleanor who wishes for a home and a best friend.
Presented by the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, “Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish — The Musical,” will be available to virtually stream Friday through Dec. 27, according to CAPA’s website.
“It’s a lovely story set at the North Pole, and it’s got elves, it’s got magic, it’s got reindeer, and it’s got all of the magic of the holidays,” Tracy said. “The underlying message is we all just want a best friend and a place to call home.”
Raised in Chicago, Tracy said she learned about discipline and show business at an early age. In the ’70s, Tracy traveled on ice tours, and in the early ’80s, she said she ran nightclubs, in which one of her responsibilities involved introducing rising Chicago talent to the nightclub Byfield.
It was while working at Navy Pier, a top tourist attraction in the Midwest, in the mid ’90s that Tracy developed the idea for Eleanor’s story.
“I would go down a couple of times every day from my office and just make sure all the entertainment was going well, and so one time I went down to see how Santa and the elves were doing,” Tracy said. “There was a little girl sitting on Santa’s lap, and she was like, ‘Don’t bring me this,’ and ‘You brought me that,’ and ‘I didn’t really want that.’ She was very bossy, and I started to laugh and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel really sorry for the toy that gets this kid.’”
Witnessing this encounter inspired her idea about a toy who wished for a child. After a couple of months of sporadically jotting down ideas, she said it became a story that sat on her computer screen for days.
In 2015, motivated by her husband, Tracy published the book on Amazon. Then in 2018, she met with her friend Kathleen Butler-Duplessis, and together they turned the story into a musical.
“Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish — The Musical” opened at The Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago last Christmas. Tracy said they received stellar reviews. With live footage recorded from a showing last year, she decided to showcase it virtually for family and friends in 2020.
Butler-Duplessis grew up in Columbus and said she took several classes at Ohio State before moving to Chicago to study at DePaul University. From there, she said she started doing musical theater and acting. She directs music for The Second City, a comedy club in Chicago, and composed most of the music for “Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish — The Musical.”
Butler-Duplessis said one of her favorite songs from the musical is rapped by elves and is called “That’s The Way We Wrap It.”
“It’s just like a super fun, catchy song about gift wrapping, and there’s lots of funny little current jokes in the song, but then there’s also the sweetness of Eleanor wanting all the kids to appreciate the beauty of the wrapping paper,” Butler-Duplessis said.
One of the main themes in the show is that wishing is good, but working for your wishes is even better, Butler-Duplessis said.
“It’s just a really fun musical. It was written for kids, but we also wanted to make sure it had lots of things for adults to laugh at and to have fun with, and there’s lots of glitter,” Butler-Duplessis said.
The story is especially important this year, Tracy said.
“I think in 2020, when a home has become so much more important now than ever, it’s always been a place where we can gather with family and friends, but it’s become our workplace and our school for kids. There’s so much uncertainty and so much that is frightening out there for all of us, and I think Elenaor’s message of hope and family and friends resonates even more in 2020 than it did a year ago,” Tracy said.
“Eleanor’s Very Merry Christmas Wish — The Musical,” will be available to virtually stream for a 48-hour timeframe starting Friday through Dec. 27. A Household Streaming ticket costs $20 and can be purchased on CAPA’s website, where a portion of the proceeds will be donated. Also available for purchase are Party Boxes with Household Streaming Tickets for $65 and $80, which includes the stream and other gifts, such as a book copy.