I love the rituals that arise around the rhythms of the natural world, and there is probably no ritual more universally celebrated and mythologized than the winter solstice around Christmas! Now in its 55th season, REVELS has been resurrecting folk traditions from all over the globe to celebrate the return of light in the darkness. With its promise of renewal, this year’s production of REVELS springs from the traditions of the frigid north: MIDWINTER REVELS: A SCANDINAVIAN STORY FOR CHRISTMAS.

This glorious production is framed by a tale (“Matchless”) written by Gregory Maguire (“Wicked”) who has a knack for fleshing out hidden stories! Here he’s inspired by a minor character from Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL and brings him front and center: a poor but creative and adventurous young boy named Frederik whose mother happens to be the queen’s seamstress–goes on a magical odyssey of life and death and love!

Photo by Paul Buckley David Coffin and the Midwinter Revels Matchless Children’s Chorus

What unfolds all around us is enchantment in the form of a sprawling pageant of music and dance, folk traditions and tales, of peasants and queens, gods and goddesses, dragons, ghosts and forest creatures, enlivening the frozen landscape under a mysterious night sky. Lanterns are lit and stars twinkle as the audience joins in harmony singing the songs of the season, lead by the richly-voiced Master of Ceremonies DAVID COFFIN accompanied by onstage musicians, and a cast of what seems like hundreds:

Actors David Keohane, Eliza Fichter, Kristian Espiritu, Joshua Wolf Coleman, The Cambridge Brass Ensemble, The Baldur Band, The Strålande Chorus, The Matchless Children, The Pinewoods Morris men, The Revels Northern Lights Dancers. The performers often weave in and out among the audience and across the stage, their dances as intricate and braided as warm loaves of bread to nourish and sustain.

Photo by Paul Buckley /The Midwinter Revels Northern Lights Dancers

The woman at the helm is Revels Interim Artistic Director Debra Wise who conceived, wrote, and directed, and along with  Music Director Elijah Botkin, weaves a glittering tapestry of sets, lighting, costumes, song, dance, poetry and story. But the invisible thread holding it all together is something ineffable conjured by all involved, emanating from the performances and the ancient rituals invoked. What’s kindled within the vaulted and darkly carved wood interior of Sanders Theatre, catches like a flame and warms the souls of everyone who enters this space. We all wandered out into the evening singing the strains of the parting tune, enveloped in a spirit of joy and goodwill.

This year’s MIDWINTER REVELS feels more crucial than ever, to join with each other in the darkness and insist on the light to mark this time as our earth turns…

SEE MIDWINTER REVELS: A SCANDINAVIAN STORY FOR CHRISTMAS before it ends on December 28!

 

Photo by Paul Buckley The Midwinter Revels Matchless Children’s Chorus