Sudbury Christmas carol transformed into stage play
‘Little Skidoo’ was recorded by the late Sudbury songwriter Bert Collins in 1977.
A new play based on the song is about to hit the stage complete with music, Muppet-style puppets and a special Christmas message.
The play takes place during Christmas 2022 when a repeat happens from 1977: a huge storm and Santa is lost. Can the same skidoo save the day?
"Fast forward to 2022 we are not doing a 1977 version," said Judi Straughan, playwright, producer and director of Little Skidoo.
“So we have technology, we have a screen, we have people facetiming in to help solve the mystery of where is Santa and why has he gone missing? So the entire community real people in the community solve the mystery.”
Sudbury singer/songwriter Stef Paquette plays Bert Collins, the man who wrote and then recorded the Christmas carol in the 1970s.
"I grew up on the Little Skidoo song,” Paquette said.
“To be able to be to present that song or sing that song and to maybe there are some kids new generation that don't know the song and to be able to present that song to a whole other generation of kids is pretty special.”
The play features a singalong and Muppet-style puppets radio DJ Wooly Mammoth and Dominique, who does her best to help Santa.
The actors said there is a special message in the musical.
"The message is that it only takes a little bit of hope and a little bit of love and all will be well at Christmas time," said Dominique, played by puppeteer Natalie Lalonde.
"Even the smallest things with enough hope and care put into them belief can really do incredible things if you give them the chance," said Wooly Mammoth, played by puppeteer Joel Giroux.
The writer describes the play as a magical, entertaining, family show with some humour for ages four and older.
Performances of Little Skidoo take place Friday and Saturday at the Sheridan Auditorium at Sudbury Secondary School.
More information can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.