If you know the Murphys, you know we LOVE musical theater. We all have our favorites (even Regina, who likes to pretend that she doesn’t care). We are blessed with an incredible community theatre here, and the girls have gotten to perform in several shows there. The latest was Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Jr.

Lakeland Community Theatre does an excellent job of providing great opportunities for kids in the area who are interested in theatre. Maddy started performing there when she was six. Regina and Molly have also done a few shows there. When it came time to audition for Rudolph, Maddy and Molly were all in. (The show was going to be over the weekend of Regina’s birthday, so even though it’s her favorite Christmas movie, she decided she didn’t want to have to work on her birthday, should she get cast.)

The girls were thrilled to be offered roles, and Molly was especially over the moon with her role. She was cast as Young Rudolph and would get her own little solo song. Maddy was cast as Spotted Elephant, one of the Misfit Toys. She was excited to learn that she’d get to be a puppeteer.

If you’ve been to a Theatre for Youth show, you know we don’t mess around at LCT. They are professional quality productions, not your average kiddie show. We have exceptional production teams that pour their talents and love into these shows and these kids, and the results are always outstanding.

Rudolph was adorable. The show ran for two weekends. The first weekend Molly got to be Young Rudolph and the second weekend she was an elf. Maddy was fantastic as Spotted Elephant both weekends. Molly rediscovered her love for the stage, and has decided she is now destined to be a Broadway star (she’s already gearing up for her next show – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).

We are so thankful to have a community theatre like Lakeland Community Theatre in our little town. It is filled with talent, but even more with love. We have been lucky enough to be a part of the LCT family for many years now, and can’t wait for many more.