Bet Harim hosts two holiday shows
<p class="p1">David Ackroyd will recreate all the familiar characters — Ebenezer Scrooge, the ghosts of Christmas, Tiny Tim and more — in “A Christmas Carol" Dec. 29.</p>
<p class="p1">On Dec. 27, Luke Walrath, a founder of Alpine Theatre Project and Broadway actor, will star in “This Wonderful Life,” a one-man staged reading of the movie classic "It's a Wonderful Life."</p>
Bet Harim Jewish Community is hosting two one-man shows this month: “This Wonderful Life” and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
On Dec. 27, Luke Walrath, a founder of Alpine Theatre Project and Broadway actor, will star in “This Wonderful Life,” a one-man staged reading of the movie classic. Walrath will play all the roles — George, Clarence the angel, Mr. Potter, Mary; the whole cast of characters will come to life through one person.
On Dec. 29, Alpine Theatre Project’s David Ackroyd, who has appeared on the Broadway stage, in films and on television, will recreate all the familiar characters — Ebenezer Scrooge, the ghosts of Christmas, Tiny Tim and more — in “A Christmas Carol.”
Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. and take place in the O’Shaughnessy Center, 1 Central Ave., Whitefish.
“We wanted to celebrate the holiday season together as a community,” Rabbi Allen Secher said. “So we are presenting these holiday classics and will tell the story of Hanukkah as well.
“Instead of watching the movies, see the story of Bedford Falls and of Scrooge’s transformation live in a way you’ve never seen them before. The same characters will be there, but you will see them in a whole new, exciting way through the eyes of two professional performers giving life to the old classics.”
Before moving to Whitefish in 2002, Walrath performed in the Tony Award-winning revival of “42nd Street” on Broadway. He has performed on three continents as a singer, dancer and actor, doing everything from playing Puck in “A Midsummer Night's Dream” in the Ukraine, to singing for U.S. soldiers across Europe with the USO, to playing Rolf in the Broadway production of “The Sound of Music,” starring Richard Chamberlain.
Walrath has made appearances on television and film, including the 2001 Tony Awards, “Late Night with David Letterman” and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Ackroyd made his Broadway debut in Phillip Roth’s “Unlikely Heroes,” and followed with “Full Circle,” directed by Otto Preminger, “Hide and Seek” with Elizabeth Ashley and the Tony Award-winning production of “Children of a Lesser God.”
Ackroyd has also appeared in a number of films, including “Dead On,” “I Come in Peace,” “The Mountain Men” and “Raven.” Over the past 30 years, he has been a guest star on numerous television series, and he has been a narrator of the “History's Mysteries” series on The History Channel. He taught theater at Flathead Valley Community College for many years and has directed and appeared in numerous Alpine Theatre Project productions.
Tickets to the shows are $20 for adults and $12 for children under 12 years old, and are available by calling 862-SHOW or 314-4345. Tickets will also be available at Village Shop in Whitefish, Sweet Peaks and Imagination Station in Whitefish and Kalispell, and at the door.
For additional information about the shows or Bet Harim, call 756-5159, email bet_harim@gmail.com or visit www.betharim.com.