WHO’S WHO: The Gingerbread Man! The Catch of the Day!
By Mike Butler
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Happy Holidays Everyone!
December is upon us and with it comes the feeling of Christmas and the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and trying to keep up with the concerts, theatre productions, holiday gatherings, and the occasional glass of eggnog and kiss under the mistletoe! Do remember to breathe and enjoy this wonderful time of year, it goes so fast! And also remember that sometimes you are the best gift to give someone; your time and company are priceless!
I have many favourite traditions that pop up during the holiday season but two of them are performing in the annual Fezziwig extravaganza (playing this year December 15 and 16 at the Festival Theatre, Wolfville), and getting to compose my holiday ‘Who’s Who’ article for The Grapevine. This year is quite special because both of those traditions are mashing up, as I’ve selected The Gingerbread Man for my ‘Who’s Who,’ and he is also the star of this year’s Fezziwig production You Can’t Catch Me: A Cookie Caper! Try and keep up as I tell you about the tastiest, fastest, and most wonderful Who’s Who I’ve ever met: The Gingerbread Man!
I am not much of a runner (I can’t even run a bath), but the only way to secure an interview with this tasty treat of a man was to strap on my Nikes and head out for a run with him. Have you ever tried to take notes while you huff and puff your way around the Acadia track? Well, it’s not fun. Luckily, The Gingerbread Man was eager to share his story.
In the land of fairy tales, The Gingerbread Man is always on the run, escaping various pursuers, but alas, he usually meets his demise between the jaws of a fox. This is just a story, of course, and The Gingerbread Man wanted to stress that he was just the subject of this story and didn’t actually get eaten, in fact he and the fox are quite good friends. Fox even occasionally has Gingerbread Man over for dinner. Gingerbread Man finds it weird that there’s never any food on the table, but they laugh, sing carols, and drink Tidal Bay together, so it’s all good!
The Gingerbread Man was eager to chat about how Christmas time is his favourite time of the year because people start baking his relatives, using his image on gift bags and TV ads, and familiarizing themselves with his story again. He feels quite honoured that people want to tell his story, and include him in their stories. He says, “I’m really looking forward to this year’s Fezziwig production as the story revolves around my character. And to have local actor/restauranteur Wil Lang playing me is beyond wonderful!â€
Yes, this December, the Fezziwig gang is at it again with their 23rd production entitled You Can’t Catch Me: A Cookie Caper, which tells the story of the poor Gingerbread Man, who has been accused of stealing Christmas toys and goes out on the run from the authorities. In true *film noir* style, Detective Foxe (Alan Slipp) enters the scene and tries to solve the case, meeting many unforgettable characters along the way including Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, dwarves, reindeer, and more!
The Gingerbread Man hopes you can make it out to the show in order to see how his continued legacy unfolds. This is such an exciting time of the year for him, and with school concerts, shows, commercials, holiday treats, and so much more, he’ll be running around more than usual. He apologizes in advance if you can’t catch him for an autograph, or a hug, but strap on your Nikes and keep trying, he’s worth it!
Wishing you all a tasty, happy, healthy holiday!
You Can’t Catch Me: A Cookie Caper plays evenings at Wolfville’s Festival Theatre on Friday December 15 and Saturday December 16 with a start time of 7:00pm and there is also a 2:00pm matinee presentation on Saturday December 16. Tickets are available at the door or in advance through The Box Of Delights Bookshop on Main Street, Wolfville. You can also email patsalmon@daysend.ca with questions and ticket information.
