Just as our grandmothers and their forbearers made patchwork quilts from previously loved clothing, in this year of doing without, Richmond’s Gateway Theatre, unable to mount performances due to the COVID crisis, have made their usual winter extravaganza, Home for the Holidays, a patchwork quilt from earlier, treasured productions.

The medium offers a huge bonus in the form of accessibility, offering American Sign Language interpretation for the deaf and hard of hearing as well as captions in English, traditional and simplified Chinese.

This year’s Christmas offering presents an hour-long collection of vignettes from previous Gateway successes tied together with spoken word pieces from different Gateway personalities. There is even an intermission with drinks recipes, one for a cocktail, the other ideas for sprucing up packets of hot chocolate mix.

Similar to a high school reunion where the stars of each year’s past school musicals recreate their parts on stage once again, Gateway stars pre-recorded bits from their productions which were then seamlessly stitched together. While this year’s stage is electronic, the sound tracks in this creation were universally stellar. The voices and orchestration rang through beautifully and clearly in professional recordings.  

Producing for the television or computer screen is as specialized an art form as live theatre.

For some of the performers, all went smoothly while others had lighting, make-up and lip-synching issues. For example, sometimes the lighting was too harsh and some had large glares where they forgot the face powder on their shiny faces. Also, acting for the small screen is more restrained than it is for the stage. Where grand gestures are required on stage, a more subtle approach is required for those watching at home.

The opening song had beautiful visuals. Shot outside in a wood by a stream, with a hand-held camera that moved as the singer Lauren Bowler did, the piece and words to, “Wouldn’t It be Loverly” from My Fair Lady poignantly held true in our times and hinted at the promise of the evening’s entertainment. While adding the sound of leaves crunching under her feet as she wandered down the wooded path created a subtle note of veracity, had her lip-synching been more precise the effect would have been perfect.

While others struggled to mouth the words to their songs at exactly the same time or sat as stiff and still as the locked off camera they were using, Tom Pickett really shone. His lip-synching to the music track felt live. I quickly suspended my disbelief and just relished his rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. Instead of a room in his home, Pickett chose a location outside Minoru Chapel to tape his contribution. With an edit or two to change perspective, this truly Richmond shoot also offered more than just one locked-off shot. His experience as both a stage and television actor showed. He wouldn’t have been out of place in a network television variety show. 

David Adams, recreating his role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof also performed for the screen in engaging fashion as he sang, “If I were a Rich Man.” Unfortunately, the glare on his forehead was a bit distracting, something a good patting of face powder would have solved. His use of edits also added to the quality of his contribution. 

Steveston’s own Jason Sakaki also shone as a romantic lead in “Hello Young Lovers.” Most recently seen in Vancouver in more comedic roles, his rich singing voice showed the versatility in this promising young performer. 

Just as theatre troupes employ skilled people behind the scenes, lighting, camera, sound, make-up and other key professionals are also required to make the most of online performances. Some theatre troupes are able to harness these people while others either for financial reasons or other considerations, are not able to inculcate this expertise into their broadcasts. If this is Gateway’s first foray into online entertainment, it bodes well for what it to come. 

We are all learning how to get through this pandemic, how to survive and perhaps come out the other end stronger or at least alive. Theatre companies are no different. Organizations that exist for live audiences had to unexpectedly screech to a halt. So too did their revenue stream, ticket sales. Yet, to keep going, they have had to pivot, to become innovative, to use what’s at hand to put together performances nonetheless. Gateway Theatre has created a quilt of shining performances past for us this Christmas.

Of particular note, the last musical number, with many on screen from their different locations, really worked and was a great send-off to an evening of affordable family fun. It started gently.

“Any Dream Will Do” from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat began with Oliver Castillo recreating his winning performance of Joseph with a locked-off shot. Another 11 frames around him of others from the troop, gradually assembled with people singing in harmony—a most fitting song of hope for better days ahead. 

The spoken finale featured a montage of performers and staff talking about what they are looking forward to when theatres open again.

“I can’t wait to hear the audience’s laughter again,” said Sakaki.

But perhaps Pickett said it best: “What I’m looking forward to most is that spiritual connection between the audience and performer, because we are just not built to be alone.” 

It does feel like an event to all sit down together in the family room and watch Home for the Holidays. With tickets at $25 for a family, it is an affordable way to cozy up with a mug of cocoa and relish past Gateway Christmas extravaganzas on a smaller and cozier scale.  

Home for the Holidays streams online through Jan. 1. For information and tickets online go to gatewaytheatre.com/home-for-holidays