>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK TO GREAT DAY HOUSTON.
HOUSTON.
HOUSTON. A LONG-STANDING TRADITION.
WE HAVE DYLAN GODWIN AND
MELISSA MILANO.
MELISSA MILANO. >> HOW ARE YOU?
>> I AM GOOD.
I LOVE THINGS LIKE THIS BECAUSE
THEY ARE SO TRADITIONAL.
EVERY TIME WE SEE IT, IT IS
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. WHEN ACTORS CHANGE, THINGS
CHANGE.
CHANGE.
CHANGE. SO A DIFFERENT VERSION OF A
TRADITION.
TRADITION. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> LET'S BACK UP AND FIND OUT
HOW THIS STARTED FOR YOU.
YOU STARTED COMMUNICATING AT
THE AGE OF EIGHT?
>> YES IT.
BEFORE THAT, WERE YOU IN YOUR
BEDROOM ACTING AND DOING
THINGS?
THINGS?
THINGS? >> OF COURSE I WAS.
YOU COULD NOT HOLD THAT DOWN.
>> WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE
STAGE THAT ATTRACTED YOU?
>> I COME FROM EAST TEXAS.
DEEP EAST TEXAS.
PEOPLE TELL A LOT OF STORIES
THERE BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A
LOT OF ENTERTAINMENT THERE
OTHERWISE.
OTHERWISE. >> WE WERE DOWN THE STREET
FROM ATHENS.
FROM ATHENS. >> PEOPLE ARE JUST NEEDING
ENTERTAINMENT THERE.
ENTERTAINMENT THERE. ANY CHANCE WE CAN TELL STORIES
OR GET UP ON STAGE AND PERFORM,
WE DID THAT.
SO IT WAS SORT OF A NATURAL
PROGRESSION.
PROGRESSION. >> I CAME INTO IT IN HIGH
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. GROWING UP, I WAS CREATIVE.
I DID ORCHESTRA AND ARE.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, I GOT BIT BY
THE BUG BY MUSICAL THEATER.
MY FIRST WAS SCROOGE.
>> YOU ARE NATIVE HOUSTONIAN.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> HELLO MOM.
>> NOW THE PEOPLE HAVE SEEN
YOU ON TELEVISION, THERE ARE
PEOPLE GOING, I KNOW HER.
I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH HER.
>> WHAT IS ABOUT MUSICAL
THEATER OR THEATER IN GENERAL?
WE SEE MOVIES AND ALL KINDS OF
THINGS WE HAVE ACCESS TO.
I THINK THE STAGE IS MAGICAL.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU THINK THOSE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN --
WHAT ARE THEY MISSING?
>> I THINK WHAT IS EXCITING
ABOUT A STAGE SHOW IS THAT
EVERY AUDIENCE THAT WILL COME
IN, WILL GET A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT SHOW.
DIFFERENT SHOW. IT IS A FEMORAL IN THAT WAY.
IT ONLY EXISTS IN THE MOMENT
THAT THE AUDIENCE SHARES WITH
IT.
IT.
IT. SO
IT. SO YOU MAY GO ON A THURSDAY OR
A FRIDAY NIGHT.
WHILE IT IS THE SAME SCRIPT ON
THE SAME CUSTOMS AND DESIGN,
THEY WILL HAVE A SLIGHTLY
ALTERED EXPERIENCE JUST BECAUSE
THE ACTORS ARE GIVING WHAT THE
AUDIENCE IS GIVING TO THEM.
SO IT IS ALWAYS A TAILOR-MADE
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. >> I THINK WHEN YOU ARE
SITTING THERE, YOU ARE KIND OF
THE EXTRA AND THE PLAY.
>> YOU ARE PART OF THE CAST
ALMOST.
ALMOST.
ALMOST. >> IT IS A COLLECTIVE ENERGY.
AND THE LIVE EXPERIENCE, YOU
GET TO GO ON THE JOURNEY WITH
EVERYONE ALTOGETHER.
EVERYONE ALTOGETHER. >> EVERY PRODUCTION, THERE IS
A LESSON TO BE LEARNED.
YOU GET OUT OF IT WHAT YOU CAN
BRING AS WELL.
THE CHRISTMAS CAROL IS A LONG-
STANDING LESSON.
STANDING LESSON. >> IN MANY WAYS, REALLY.
IT IS LIKE THE ULTIMATE STORY
OF REDEMPTION.
OF REDEMPTION. EVERYBODY LOVES TO BE REDEEMED
AT CHRISTMAS TIME.
SO WE ALWAYS LOOK TO THESE LONG-
STANDING HOLIDAY TRADITIONS TO
DO THAT.
DO THAT.
DO THAT. AS AN ACTOR, FOR ME, IT HAS
BEEN CHRISTMAS CAROL.
I HAVE DONE IT FOR NINE YEARS.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND PEOPLE WE
SEE IN THE AUDIENCE YEAR AFTER
YEAR, IT IS SORT OF THE SAME
LONG-STANDING TRADITION FOR
THEM AS WELL.
>> A LESSON TAUGHT -- FOR
BOTH OF YOU.
YOU HAVE BEEN NAMED AS YOUNG
ACTORS TO WATCH BY THE HOUSTON
PRESS.
PRESS.
PRESS. YOU RECEIVED A BREAKTHROUGH
PERFORMANCE AWARD FROM HOUSTON
PRESS AS WELL.
WHAT YOU DO, YOU DO WELL.
CAROL BY THE NUMBERS.
WHAT IS THAT?
>> CAROL BY THE NUMBERS --
BASICALLY WHAT WE HAVE THIS
YEAR IS SORT OF A VIP
EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD
IN THE PAST.
YOU CAN PAY IN CERTAIN
PERFORMANCES, AND ADDITIONAL
COST TO YOUR TICKET.
BEFORE THE SHOW, YOU WILL GET A
SPECIAL VIDEO FROM SCROOGE.
YOU WILL GET HOT COCOA IN THE
VIP ROOM.
VIP ROOM.
VIP ROOM. AFTER THE SHOW, ACTORS AND
COSTUME WILL COME VISIT WITH
YOU FOR 10-15 MINUTES.
>> AND THEY ARE HAVING SOME
TREATS.
TREATS.
TREATS. WE HAVE SOME TREATS THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. >> AND AND EXCLUSIVE GIFT AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. >>
WELL. >> VERY COOL TOO.
WHEN YOU HAVE THE VIP
EXPERIENCE, YOU SEE ALL THE
CHARACTERS ON THE STAGE.
AND WE SEE YOU AS THE HUMANS
THAT YOU ARE.
IT IS A NEAT EXPERIENCE.
WE DON'T GET A CHANCE TO DO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. WE
THAT. WE GO TO THE MOVIES.
I AM STILL WAITING FOR DENZEL
WASHINGTON TO COME JOIN THE AT
MY SEAT.
MY SEAT.
MY SEAT. THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A LONG
HOLIDAY TRADITION.
HOLIDAY TRADITION. THERE ARE CAST MEMBERS THAT
WERE IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL AS
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. AND NOW GROWN.
>> IT IS INCREDIBLE.
WE EVEN HAVE A FATHER AND
DAUGHTER IN THIS AS WELL.
JULIA KROHN AND CHARLES CRONE.
AND SIBLINGS WITHIN THE CAST.
>> A COMPANY MEMBER AT THE
ALLEY FOR DECADES.
ONE OF THE LONGEST STANDING
COMPANY MEMBERS IN THE COUNTRY.
AND JULIA COME HIS DAUGHTER IS
IN THE SHOW.
IT IS COOL TO HAVE A FATHER AND
DAUGHTER CONNECTION.
DAUGHTER CONNECTION. >> YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT THE
FIRST TIME YOU WERE IN A
CHRISTMAS CAROL?
CHRISTMAS CAROL? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. IT WAS LIKE NINE YEARS AGO.
AND BETTY FITZPATRICK -- SHE
IS NO LONGER WITH US BUT SHE
WAS ONE OF THE LONGEST STANDING
COMPANY MEMBERS IN THE COUNTRY.
IT WAS HER LAST SHOW.
I PLAYED THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS
FUTURE.
FUTURE.
FUTURE. ABOUT THREE SECONDS BEFORE THE
QUEUE CAME UP, WE REALIZED TO
THE MICROPHONE WAS NOT WORKING.
SO WE SAID WE CAN HOLD THE SHOW
OR YOU CAN GO OUT THERE AND
IMPROV IT.
IMPROV IT. >> IT WAS THE LAST SHOW FOR
MS. BETTY.
MS. BETTY. ALMOST ENDING LIKE A 50-60 YEAR
CAREER ON STAGE.
I SAID, I WILL TAKE ONE FOR THE
TEAM.
TEAM.
TEAM. THE
TEAM. THE SHOW MUST GO ON.
>> AND IT DID.
IT WAS A SEMINAL MEMORY FOR ME.
>> THIS SHOW MUST GO ON.
SO BEFORE WE END, WE HAVE TO
SAY GOOD MORNING TO MARK IV.
HE WAS AN LITTLE SHOP OF
HORRORS WITH ME.
SO A GREAT TIME.
>> A CHRISTMAS CAROL