Latest / The BSB Podcast / Exclusive Interview: Dave Davies and Julia Glander of Tipping Point Theatre's 'A Very Northville Christmas'
Transcript
- 0:00Thank you so much for you two joining me today.
- 0:01How are you two doing?
- 0:02Hope everyone's going for it.
- 0:05Yeah.
- 0:05too polite here.
- 0:06uh I'm feeling great, Brian.
- 0:09How are you?
- 0:10Doing all right, doing all right.
- 0:11You guys ready for the holiday season?
- 0:13We're kind of here.
- 0:15We are.
- 0:15have much of a choice, do we?
- 0:17We better be ready.
- 0:18I mean, this is...
- 0:21so quick.
- 0:21And it's also the perfect time because you guys are rolling out a very Northville Christmas starting November 19th.
- 0:27I mean, this is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.
- 0:29ah Dave, what is it kind of like to step back into the world uh of Christmas on stage?
- 0:37It's, uh well with this particular show, it's a lot of fun.
- 0:42I'd say I've done other Christmas shows before and I'm not calling specifics, but there have been some that I haven't been real excited about.
- 0:51this is, uh fortunately for me, it's one that I had a lot of fun with.
- 0:55It's a fun script and it's...
- 1:00What well the the thought of stepping back in and doing the same part was intriguing it sounded great uh This time I'm directing which is uh Personally, I think even more fun
- 1:15right now because it's you get to do like you get to find all those little things that are uh That you didn't realize the first time around, you know
- 1:25get to have your hands in everything.
- 1:27Yeah, yeah, that's really it.
- 1:29Yep.
- 1:30And Julia, you had kind of mentioned when we talked about the season preview that this is one that like people who come to Tipping Point were very excited that it was coming back.
- 1:38Yes, yes, it was a huge hit the first time, which was two years ago, my first season as artistic director.
- 1:47And I don't know if I told you the story behind it, but Williamston Theatre had done it the previous, in 2021, I believe, Williamston, a very Williamston Christmas, and the
- 2:01playwright Robert Hallmark contacted me immediately in January and said, I don't know,
- 2:08Here you are in this position and I think Northville would be the perfect setting for this play and I agreed.
- 2:17So there we are.
- 2:18So we did it in 2020, sorry, 2023.
- 2:22You have to excuse me with numbers sometimes, I'm off.
- 2:25So yes, I started in 2022.
- 2:27So this was 2023 when we did A Very Northville Christmas.
- 2:31Williamston brought it back to their stage last year and then we picked it up again this year.
- 2:36is the same script pretty much, right?
- 2:39Dave, it's the same script, but we've got changes.
- 2:43Dave's been wonderful in creating some of, em even though it's the same script, some different moments with it, and because we have uh a different cast this time, so it's
- 2:57always gonna be new.
- 2:58So even though it runs the same Hallmark holiday plot, you know,
- 3:04big city gal, will she fall in love with the small town guy?
- 3:09It also um has lots of opportunities for all of Dave's uh creativity.
- 3:15So, yeah.
- 3:17What I love about them saying Northville is the perfect city for this is because it's truly like a Hallmark movie when you walk down the main street and stuff like that, it
- 3:27feels like you're stepping back into that feel, you know?
- 3:31Yeah.
- 3:32Yeah.
- 3:32absolutely true.
- 3:34In 2022, when we were doing...
- 3:38not a very Northville Christmas, but It's a Wonderful Life, the live radio play.
- 3:42I had some guests that came to the show and afterwards we went downtown to have dinner and it started to snow and the couple said, my gosh, this is like a Hallmark holiday movie.
- 3:55And a week later was when I got the phone call from Williamston about doing the show.
- 4:01Which that storyline that you just told is so like a Hallmark Hollywood movie.
- 4:08I was just thinking Dave, was like, how much did she pay Hallmark to make it snow that day?
- 4:12Ha!
- 4:13It was so beautiful.
- 4:15And it was just the twinkly lights and the snow and everybody, you know, cheerful because they've all had wine to drink and it was fun.
- 4:26yeah, Northville
- 4:27is that small town that does have that feel where it's just like you, you you think around every corner is gonna be Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat in the air.
- 4:36Just that kind of festiveness, happiness to it.
- 4:42When I I had not actually been to Northville until I started working with tipping point and
- 4:47I didn't even know that this little town existed and when I walked in there I was like if gives you like that Frankenmuth vibe, but like Like just that small town feeling you don't
- 4:55get a lot of places around the metro Detroit area anymore
- 4:58No.
- 4:59You know, Dave, I think you should add that in the script.
- 5:03Tossing that.
- 5:04Ha ha ha ha!
- 5:06All I can do is think about that now.
- 5:08It's the perfect scene.
- 5:11say this, I'm, what we've been do, we've been rehearsing and Julia's not even seen what we've been rehearsing yet, which I'm, oh, okay, yeah, that's right, yeah.
- 5:23And I'm looking so forward to seeing it because it has been with a whole new cast, different approaches, we've kind of like, we're kind of really going through the script
- 5:34and looking for all the little things and realizing
- 5:38that like, my gosh, we've been saying it this way.
- 5:41What if we said it this way instead?
- 5:44would give the, and it's really uh finding, it's like you say, it's the same script, but it's, I feel as if, as fun and as good as that first run was, I think we've ramped up the
- 5:58playfulness where it's maybe a little closer to like, um
- 6:04uh a naked gun kind of thing where just the not to say it's gone that far but but i think the um the the humor itself comes a little more rapid fire than than the previous run good
- 6:20good good
- 6:21truthfully, Dave, not trying to even butter you up or anything, but I feel like you are the perfect person to be able to find some of those nuances and pull some of that humor
- 6:28out of there or add different layers to it because you are so, you have so much humor and you just, you love to laugh and to smile that it sounds like this is the perfect show for
- 6:36you to really get your hands on and to run with it.
- 6:40That's so kind, but it's like I told the cast, they're, you know, I'm just asking them questions.
- 6:47They're coming up with the ideas and then I'm claiming credit for them because I'm the director, so.
- 6:53Absolutely, that's what you should always do.
- 6:56Right?
- 6:57Yeah, I'm riding their coattails and loving it.
- 7:01So while this has, like you said, it's the same script and stuff, but you're really kind of making this a Northville Christmas, because this can be adapted from any uh cities and
- 7:10stuff.
- 7:11Dave, how are you pulling in Northville to kind of make it a story that's centric to the city without, again, I don't want to spoil too much because I want people to see this and
- 7:19experience it, but I'm just wondering how you're kind of doing that as you're developing it.
- 7:23There's a lot of uh specifics that are generalized in the script, or should say a lot of the things that are generalized in the script, we are uh adding specifics to.
- 7:37Instead of just going to a restaurant, they're going to this particular restaurant.
- 7:41Instead of walking down a street, they're walking down this street.
- 7:45and little landmarks where we can.
- 7:48We're hitting as many Northville references as we can, but also to a point where
- 7:55if you're not from Northville, you're not gonna be sitting in the audience going, I have no idea what they're talking about.
- 8:02This makes no sense to me.
- 8:04It still has, but it's just got that kind of edge to it.
- 8:08It's like when that rock star comes to town in the middle of one of their biggest hits, they go, hey, Detroit.
- 8:14No one goes, yeah, Detroit.
- 8:17You know, I was down at Heart Plaza.
- 8:19my gosh, I know where that is.
- 8:21uh You know, so it's that.
- 8:23um
- 8:25that kind of feeling where instead of just saying, going down the street, we can say, yeah, I was going down Griswold Street.
- 8:32my gosh, that's right outside of the theater.
- 8:35So there's a lot of little nuances like that, a lot of little uh winks to the audience um that if you, without alienating everybody, that is correct, yeah.
- 8:49No, in fact, Brian, um this is the producer side coming out, but um I'd say the way I've sort of marketed this is that we celebrate, we spoof Northville and Hallmark holiday
- 9:04movies with loads of humor and love.
- 9:08because that's really what we're doing.
- 9:09It's the combination of both.
- 9:11And one thing I will add, again, promoting this, but I'm promoting Tipping Point and Northville businesses, is that this play is the opportunity for um Northville businesses
- 9:24to play a role in the play, because we've got lots of references um as part of sponsorships.
- 9:33So it gives them lots of advertising and um
- 9:38Just a lot.
- 9:39They're mentioned in the play.
- 9:40They get to be on the program and the lobby screen and social media and the works.
- 9:46It's tons for a really minimal amount.
- 9:49a great point.
- 9:50It is
- 9:50like with the local businesses, it's almost like uh they get a commercial out of the deal because working in the names of the places, we've almost, for many of them, tweak the
- 10:03script to where it becomes not just saying their name, it becomes...
- 10:09an advertisement for them.
- 10:11It's not just saying like, I you a coffee from Coffee Joe's or just using a fake name.
- 10:18would be like, wow, this coffee's great, isn't it?
- 10:20It's from Coffee Joe's.
- 10:21That's where I get it all the time.
- 10:23Like that kind of uh complimentary.
- 10:27mention of local places and some of them I personally think are just very funny.
- 10:33I've been watching the rehearsals watching the same thing over and like a five-year-old every time it happens I'm like laughing at the same thing.
- 10:42Well, truthfully, that also feels very Hallmark too, because they have the coffee shop that they're talking about.
- 10:47They have the toy store.
- 10:48They have the Christmas decoration place.
- 10:50There's all of these very quintessential places that they stop at.
- 10:54It seems like every Hallmark movie as they're celebrating.
- 10:56that fits right in, and Northville gets to be a part of that.
- 10:59Yes.
- 11:00oh
- 11:01how has Northville been responding to that?
- 11:04Has there been a nice reception to that?
- 11:08Yes, em yes, definitely.
- 11:11it is a great opportunity.
- 11:13We're going to have a lot of people coming through.
- 11:16And em yes, the Northfield businesses that are participating, I don't want to give it all away now either, because that is so joyful when they, you know,
- 11:27get represented on stage in a really big way.
- 11:30We've got some funny stuff and some new stuff in the script as well.
- 11:34And thanks to Dave.
- 11:36that's going to be a lot of fun.
- 11:39um yeah, I think that, you know, and I don't know who knows if we'll do this again.
- 11:47I don't know.
- 11:48Maybe down the road.
- 11:49um But um it's a great opportunity.
- 11:53Yeah, I will say up front there's a great opportunity.
- 11:58If there's a coffee shop out there, it's almost like we've got just a uh part in there.
- 12:05It's like, well, okay, we're just gonna go with just coffee, just coffee from a coffee shop.
- 12:10It's like, man, someone could get their name in there and every performance, it'll come up in the whole room.
- 12:16Here's it.
- 12:17I will share this.
- 12:19The mayor will be there, Mayor Turnbull will be there on opening night playing the mayor.
- 12:27So we have some, and we'll have some other little guest appearances throughout that we're excited about.
- 12:33um So, um yeah.
- 12:37But good point, Dave, because we need a coffee shop, don't we?
- 12:41Yeah, it would be nice to have a coffee shop in Northville.
- 12:46You know.
- 12:47So if you're a coffee shop in Northville, come on, reach out.
- 12:49Yeah, or one other thing we needed was an Ann Arbor restaurant.
- 12:54One Ann Arbor restaurant, we needed that.
- 12:56if anybody from Ann Arbor is listening and wants to participate as a sponsor, you know, that would be great.
- 13:04What else?
- 13:06Any others that we really need?
- 13:07Let me think.
- 13:09And just to let them know, it's, don't know, how many performances are there of this show ah altogether, Drew?
- 13:1727, it's like buying 27 commercials on a television station.
- 13:22But this is even more targeted because we've got a captive audience.
- 13:27Yes, well 143 seats in the house.
- 13:32you know, I'm not going to do the math right now.
- 13:34I'm not good at that, but you get the idea.
- 13:39Thank you, Dave.
- 13:43But if you think about it, it's not even just advertising, with Northfield being such a small little corner of the metropolitan area, you're walking out and you're right there.
- 13:54You know what I mean?
- 13:55Right across the street now is a donut shop.
- 13:57There's all these different places where you're going to walk out, you can walk through that city and actually visit that place, which is...
- 14:03Yeah.
- 14:03much more than even just promoting your place.
- 14:06Right, that's so true.
- 14:09Yeah.
- 14:10like, it's kind of reminiscent of those, know, when you get to the hotel room and you turn on the TV, there's the hotel's own channel, like, enjoy our amenities.
- 14:20You know, we have a pool two floors below you.
- 14:26Yeah, there you go, yeah.
- 14:28So it kind of like it's a play and it has that element to it, like that kind of suggests, you know, after this matinee, why not go have dinner over here at this place, you know?
- 14:40Yeah.
- 14:41So have a two part question and Dave I'm gonna start with you.
- 14:44why, know, the theme of this season is nostalgia.
- 14:46So why do you feel like this show fits so well in with nostalgia, but also why do you think continues to bring audiences in that they're asking for it for a second year?
- 14:54Um.
- 14:54The more successful shows have been like that.
- 14:57think the nostalgia is that they enjoyed it so much the first time they want to relive that experience.
- 15:04know this just to digress for a second that the first show the theater ever did back in the day was a show called Don't Dress for Dinner.
- 15:13And um that was a big hit for the theater to the point where
- 15:21They started the season, their first season with that show and ended the season and remounted that show as it was.
- 15:29So it got kind of like two runs in its initial run and then brought it back another time after that, but.
- 15:37Is it 10 at 10 year mark or 15?
- 15:40Yeah, I think.
- 15:43doing this Christmas show now.
- 15:44ah But it's because you get people who enjoyed that experience so much.
- 15:49They're still calling the theater asking for that show.
- 15:53And I think this Christmas show is like that too, because it's just, it is one of those shows that a lot of shows people will see and maybe there's some that leave going like,
- 16:06well, that wasn't really my cup of tea.
- 16:08And other people will be like, that sang to me.
- 16:11That was the best thing I've ever seen.
- 16:14But it's kind of rare that a show comes along that's 100 % universal.
- 16:20And...
- 16:21I think this one is about as close as that as you can get.
- 16:25The people who aren't enjoying it, we never want to see again.
- 16:30No, that's not.
- 16:31They won't be back.
- 16:32Yeah, that's right.
- 16:33They won't be missed.
- 16:35Now, what I do think is just, it's that fun and that playful where uh it's got something for everybody.
- 16:42You're gonna find something in so many moments of this show that you're just gonna, they're just gonna make you laugh and they're just gonna make you smile.
- 16:51That sounds hokey, but I swear it's true.
- 16:54I swear it's true.
- 16:56But like, is it hokey, like, what Christmas is about here?
- 17:01Yeah, that's a good point too.
- 17:02mean, it's, you know, it's, I know being my age, having grown up, like every year as a kid.
- 17:11you know, without the benefit of VCRs even, that it would be like, good, all the good Christmas programs are coming back on.
- 17:20I get to rewatch Rudolph and Year Without a Santa Claus and Little Drummer Boy and all the cartoons, how the Grinch stole Christmas.
- 17:28You know, they would just run them like that once a year.
- 17:31So you'd only have, that was almost like a gift in itself to be able to uh see those each year.
- 17:37And that's, I think a big part of the nostalgia
- 17:42that Christmas brings is it's why people decorate their homes and all that.
- 17:47It's like they look forward to that holiday spirit that visits once a year.
- 17:52You know, I don't know how long uh Meadowbrook has been doing Christmas Carol every year.
- 17:57And it's like, because it's successful.
- 17:59People want to see it.
- 18:01They want that.
- 18:03And this is...
- 18:04uh
- 18:06in essence has the possibility of becoming that kind of tradition for tipping point, you know?
- 18:11Yeah.
- 18:14So, Brian, it's tradition.
- 18:20All those things that Dave just mentioned becomes part of, whether it's a family tradition, whether it's a friend's tradition, it's our comfort food, right?
- 18:31It's all those things.
- 18:33And it's interesting because people kind of fall in different...
- 18:37Something for everyone is something that when I am trying to figure out what to do for a season and in that process where I'm curating what to do.
- 18:50That is something that I always think of.
- 18:53can't please everybody with every show, but I can usually try and find something for everyone.
- 18:59This show, what Dave was saying, has something for everyone.
- 19:04And there's people who love to watch.
- 19:07the Christmas shows over and over again or have the same.
- 19:10I'm the opposite.
- 19:12Once I've seen a show, I am happy with that and I will watch it maybe 10 years later, maybe, maybe, but maybe not.
- 19:22the interesting thing about it though is that this, because I love the change up, I love seeing it once and then I love to see the next part.
- 19:31you know, what's the process the next time?
- 19:33So that's just my brain.
- 19:35We have this in my family, because, you know, my husband loves to watch It's a Wonderful Life every year, and I usually find something else to do in that moment, and even for
- 19:46those two hours, and not because I don't enjoy it, I do, but I know it already.
- 19:52So my brain is going quicker than what I'm visually taking in.
- 19:58you know, I, so for,
- 20:00It's interesting, I'm even laughing that nostalgia came out of and became sort of the theme for this um because I had to wait until I had all the shows in place and I was
- 20:13looking at it, wow, there's some nostalgic elements in all of it.
- 20:18And so that's where that came from.
- 20:20um But you know, all that nostalgia stuff has a lot of benefits and.
- 20:26um
- 20:27And it's really great for this time of year as well because it helps us, you know, get through and move through and find joy again.
- 20:36So I think it's really important.
- 20:39One of the things I love about you, Julia, so much is that my next question was going to be, you had talked about it being a, people mentioning it being like a traditional almost
- 20:47now at tipping point to come to this show.
- 20:49And so I had it marked down and you brought it right back up for me.
- 20:51I don't even have to do, you did, but that's good.
- 20:56Cause like you said, you're always thinking ahead, which is like, you're predicting both it's a wonderful life and my questions.
- 21:01No, no, but truthfully, I think that you're right that like this is
- 21:08something that goes into tradition of not even just for the show, but like the holidays are full of them.
- 21:13know, people have things that they do with their family.
- 21:16Going to see a show, I mean, from when I was a young kid, I remember my mom would take us to see the Rockettes when they visited, you know, the Fox Theater as a kid.
- 21:22And so like, even though I haven't seen a Northville Christmas, this is already hitting nostalgic factors for me because it reminds me of that same experience I grew up on.
- 21:30Yes.
- 21:32and I think it hits those.
- 21:34those Christmas tropes real well.
- 21:38you know, the things that everyone's gonna recognize, not just from Hallmark movies, but elements of so many different Christmas movies.
- 21:47ah You know, the nod to a Christmas carol where it's like someone's heart needs to be melted so they can find the true meaning of Christmas and you know, that kind of thing,
- 22:01but, and really utilizes.
- 22:04uh
- 22:05those elements, know, everyone's gonna have those, oh, I recognize what's going on here, moments in the show.
- 22:12mean, that's important though, too, because again, that makes your heart feel all fuzzy and warm.
- 22:16As long as you have hot chocolate at that point, you're good, right?
- 22:18That's it, yep.
- 22:19This show is hot cocoa for the soul.
- 22:23I love that you should put that on a banner or a t-shirt That's it Um Yeah, when you finally get the coffee shop you need to put that in there be like, yeah, it's like hot
- 22:38cocoa for the soul But it's So so with this pulling from so many different like kind of Christmas themes and Christmas tropes and
- 22:51kind of all of those warm and fuzzy feelings.
- 22:52Dave, what really stands out to you about the theme of the show that like seems to resonate the most with you at this time?
- 22:57Uh, about this time of year?
- 22:59That's
- 23:01gotta confess, I don't know if there's anything that stands out.
- 23:05that's particularly Christmas overall.
- 23:09You know, mean, it's clearly it's a Christmas story.
- 23:11It's got Christmas elements.
- 23:12But I think ah what stands out to me is certainly the comedy.
- 23:18It's just...
- 23:18uh
- 23:20Yeah, I just love how it's how playful and joyful it is um and the the love story behind it I think there's as silly as it gets at moments.
- 23:30There's there's a really beautiful ah little love story going on that You know that they they land well in their own reality the characters do and you really do find yourself
- 23:44rooting for them like seeing these like you know these these missed opportunities where it's like
- 23:49Oh, they could have got together then if they just, you know, it's one of the stories.
- 23:54Like I've been saying that,
- 23:57during rehearsal, it's like maybe two characters will start to go in and it's like, and that's when this one comes in and interrupts and pointing out like, if you don't interrupt
- 24:06them, the play's gonna end right there because that's the goal.
- 24:11So it's like, we have to keep interrupting them and finding ways to avoid them getting together.
- 24:17And it starts to get deeper as to the obstacles in their way, but...
- 24:22But that's what it, like with a lot of movies or TV shows, you're gonna have the audience thinking, oh, that's gonna divide them further.
- 24:32We have to get them together somehow and rooting for them.
- 24:36And I think uh how it weaves its way about that is uh silly in a very lovely way.
- 24:46I was gonna say, can already picture audiences responding with like gasps and groans almost, being like, they almost kissed, you know, like, it was almost there, we almost had
- 24:55it.
- 24:55Yeah, yeah, it's that remains the day kind of, you know.
- 24:59you know, and in all honesty, um we're a very Northville Christmas.
- 25:06You're not coming to see it for the plot.
- 25:10You're not, because it is a standard.
- 25:14It's a, what am I trying to say?
- 25:17But it's a standard plot that we play.
- 25:19But what you're coming for is the hope for love.
- 25:23no matter what, you know, the hope for love, the joy that that brings, um you know, and that something could go wrong.
- 25:30And it does.
- 25:32And life isn't perfect.
- 25:33And it shows in the script.
- 25:35It's all of that.
- 25:36So it's the imperfections um in a perfect world, you know.
- 25:43So.
- 25:44we've added two car chases.
- 25:47No, that's not true.
- 25:48That's not true.
- 25:50We got one Tokyo Drift.
- 25:52Yeah.
- 25:54It was a feat to get them in the door that, yeah.
- 25:58there's a Netflix Christmas movie coming out this year that's about two Jewel Heists.
- 26:02you know, so the fact that you just said that, mean, anything's possible around Christmas apparently.
- 26:08That's right.
- 26:08We really pay tribute to Die Hard, which when you come down to it, everyone's favorite Christmas movie.
- 26:16Uh oh, am I gonna get in trouble for saying I've never seen Die Hard?
- 26:18Do I need- is that a pre-requisite for coming to the show?
- 26:21No, I'm just kidding.
- 26:22you in trouble, but I honestly I envy you because that's one of those movies I wish I could see you for the first time all over again
- 26:28Yeah.
- 26:30I want to thank you so much for the two of you being here and for talking about Northville Christmas.
- 26:34We are so excited to see it.
- 26:36ah But thank you for chatting about it and we look forward to a good run for it.
- 26:41Oh, Brian, thank you so much.
- 26:42I have to say my cheeks are hurting from smiling right now.
- 26:47My cheeks are hurting from sitting.
- 26:49oh
- 26:51prepared my cheeks because I knew Dave was going to be here.
- 26:54I said last time, I hurt for days after laughing so hard.
- 26:57So I had to do some exercises.
- 26:59know, here we go.
- 27:01my cheeks are hurting from sitting on them so long so that's yeah hey Brian I I hope to see at the theater I hope you're able to make it I think you'll you'll really dig it thank
- 27:17you kindly uh yeah so great to see you buddy
- 27:22A Very Northville Christmas arrives at the Tipping Point Theatre on November 19th and runs through December 21st, so get your tickets now from the box office or their website, and
- 27:30we'll see you at the show!