MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Does a miserly economy mean that Minnesotans are trimming their holiday spending along with the tree? The Hennepin Theatre Trust reports that there is "room" in all the usual seasonal stage shows (Minnesota Dance Theatre's Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy, for instance) this year, meaning none of them are sold out as yet.
The seasonal home of Scrooge, himself, "A Christmas Carol" at the Guthrie Theatre has gone on a holiday "diet", shrinking from as long as 2 hours and 40 minutes to just 90 minutes. Officially, the Guthrie spokespeople say it is to return to the original Dickens story and be more "family-friendly" in length. It will also save some money, since many of the Theatre's staff work on hourly wages. The ticket prices, $29-$70, remain the same.
The price is also the same for the annual Macy's 8th Floor Auditorium show. It is free for the 47th straight year. It is, however, the first time, Daytons/Marshall Field's/Macy's has mounted the same show 2 years in a row. It is an original production, "A Day in the Life of an Elf in Macy's Santa's Workshop". There are a few new twists in the show including animating an elfin classroom scene, which had been just a painted mural. There is also a "Santa's Maze" area and expanded space for the official visit with the Jolly Old Elf.
Macy's Vice President of Special Projects, Mike Gansmoe, says they are excited to have "Elf" back for another run. "We may be saving a little money but we still have incorporated all the same artisans and craftspeople and props people and everyone that has worked on the show in the past."
A number of cities in Minnesota are trying to maintain their old traditions on the cheap by saving on electricity. For instance, the street decorations in downtown Hopkins have all been converted from incandescent lights to LED. City officials say the savings on electricity will repay the cost of the lights in just 2 years.
As for electricity, there is that "wired-up" moving display snaking own Nicollet Mall throughout December. The Target Holidazzle Parade will not look different according to Minneapolis Downtown Council's Leah Wong. "You know the biggest thing that we've done from an economy point of view is we have really made a conscious decision to hold the budget to what it was last year in 2008. We will be operating the parade on the same budget and trying to stretch the dollar farther so that we can continue to provide a great experience to parade goers."
There will be no new floats in the illuminated line of march, but many of the characters and floats will be converted to LED lights to save on batteries. The Holidazzle will also feature a new "Favorite Characters" competition in the event website. An entering family will be chosen to be in the parade itself on the final weekend.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
