‘Lovesick Snowman’ is perfect holiday fare

THEATER REVIEW

“Sam the Lovesick Snowman”

Grade: A

Through Jan 4. $16; $9 for members. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, puppet.org

The folksy folks who tell the tale of “Sam the Lovesick Snowman” have ice fishing and snowmobiles on their minds. Their whereabouts are never identified. But their cheery nasal accents may remind you more of Alaska than Minnesota.

Ya think there was a subversive twinkle in the eyes of writer-director Jon Ludwig as he (ever so loosely) adapted the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale for this Center for Puppetry Arts world premiere? As the snowbound couple says with great satirical zest: “You better, you betcha.”

Layering the kiddie material with a little adult-friendly humor has always been part of the Ludwig touch. But in this 50-minute one-act about a snowman’s unrequited love for a wood-burning stove, he piles sweetness and charm as high as the shimmering banks of crystalline ice.

Performed by Dolph Amick and Amy Rush, with original music by John Cerreta, “Sam the Lovesick Snowman” is a shoo-in for the most clever and original show of the holiday season.

After a rosy-cheeked boy and girl named Dolph and Amy build Sam and his admiring “snow miss” Abigail, we meet Alice the Dog, her house-cat nemesis and a moose mailman who drives a chugging snowmobile up and down the mountain. Amick’s account of the sputtering machine is a hoot, and Rush croons Alice’s signature ditty, “I Howl at the Moon,” in a country twang that recalls Patsy Cline or Loretta Lynn. (Alice also gets to sing the rollicking “I Hate the Cat Polka.”)

Audiences of all ages will warm to the surprise puffs of chimney smoke from the cosy cabin and Sam’s slow awakening and magical transformation. In a dream sequence, Sam has visions of waltzing with the sultry and seductive stove, which sports long eyelashes and a tiny pink boa. While Sam’s passion nearly causes a meltdown, Abigail feels a “crack-crackle” in her own heart, and a big, bad wolf threatens to upset the whole affair.

On the technical side, Chris Brown’s rod puppets are simple yet evocative, and Roy H. Howington’s set is smartly constructed to conceal the puppeteers as they scoot around on carts. Multi-tasking Amick and Rush play all the parts and sing all the songs with grace and precision. I’ve seen Amick in theaters all over town, but this is his best-crafted work to date. (He even plays the guitar.)

With its dreamy, snow-covered landscape and luminous night skies and a story that combines cartoon capers, a romantic denouement and just a dash of political humor, “Sam the Lovesick Snowman” is a well-nigh perfect holiday entertainment. Wouldn’t you rather build a snowman than go ice fishing? You better betcha you would.