Eric Schwierske
A group of dejected-looking soldiers.
"All is Calm" reenacts one of the most heart-wrenching events from the fighting on the Western Front in World War I.
Four Seasons Theatre’s first post-pandemic performance is actually an encore of one of its last productions before COVID-19 closed the theaters. It is a remount of their sold-out All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 from two years ago, which will again be presented Dec. 2-12 in The Playhouse at Overture Center.
Far from the saccharine Hallmark holiday specials that populate TV schedules this time of year, All is Calm tells the story of soldiers fighting in Europe during World War I. Using a variety of historic media, including patriotic and popular music of the time, classic Christmas carols, and text drawn from real letters, journals, and radio broadcasts, the a cappella musical chronicles the experience of trench warfare in the early 20th century. It also reenacts one of the most heart-wrenching events from the fighting on the Western Front, when German and English foot soldiers called an impromptu truce so they could all celebrate Christmas together in No Man’s Land.
Four Seasons artistic director Sarah Marty, director Brian Cowing, music director Randy Swiggum, and many of the original cast members are back to celebrate the company’s return to live theater with this very special holiday production.
For Cowing, the homecoming is even more meaningful, after such a long hiatus from the stage. “It feels wonderful to be back in the same rehearsal space with everyone,” Cowing says. “For many of our cast, this was their last show before the pandemic and it’s the first one back. The reunions coming into the first day of rehearsal reminded me of why we do this. I’m excited for them to have their first audience back in the Playhouse as well.”
Marty concurs. “Our first night back in rehearsal, Oct. 25, was surreal, to say the least. It had been 19 months since we closed When the Music Stops: The Anita O'Day Story at Cafe Coda on March 13, 2020. Nineteen months since we’d been able to be together, in person, making music and telling stories through theater. What was most profound was the overwhelming feeling of gratitude from everyone in the room — to be healthy, to be together again in person, and to be revisiting this beautiful script and score.”
For his part, Swiggum is not surprised to be returning to All is Calm. “I think we always knew we would do it again. It’s the kind of show that probably will be mounted every Christmas season forever, now that it has left its mark in Madison. In 2019 there was such a sense of ‘this is something really unique — really extraordinary — it deserves to be seen.’ And of course, the shows all sold out last time, so we knew there was still an audience eager to experience it.”
Cowing is particularly excited to be working with this material once again. “During the 2019 production we realized how moved our audiences were by this story. It seemed that people needed an alternative to their usual holiday offerings. After everything we’ve been through, I think audiences can relate even more to this story, with themes of isolation, loss and peace.”
For Marty, the choice to bring All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 back this holiday season was an easy one. “It is a rare piece of theater,” she says, “constructed from primary sources, from the songs and stories of the men who lived through an extraordinary event. To hear the actual words, and the names of these men, spoken aloud, closes the century-wide gap from 1914. This isn’t just something that happened a long time ago, it’s something that is still happening today. All across the globe, humanity is still waging wars against each other. But for a moment, one beautiful and heartbreaking moment, opposing forces put down their weapons and came together.”
Swiggum is hoping that many more Madison-area audiences have the chance to experience All is Calm this year, but he anticipates there will be a lot of returning ticket buyers as well. “Honestly, having been part of productions of The Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, and A Christmas Carol, I believe this show is going to become a tradition like all of them. It’s a season when we consider deep questions: What does it mean to be human in a broken world? This story will never lose its fascination or power to move us.”
Tickets for All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 start at $20 and are available at the box office or online at the Overture Center and at 608-258-4141.
