Canadian husband-and-wife team Katie Kerr and Matthew Stodolak are the heart and soul behind Chris, Mrs., a holiday musical that marries timeless festive themes with contemporary musical theatre. Following the show’s popular and critically-acclaimed premiere at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre in December 2023, the couple has released a studio album of the earworm-y, happily-ever-after musical . . . just in time for the 2024 holiday season.
Individually, the couple bring a wealth of talent and experience to their creative (and personal) collaboration. Kerr is a seasoned performer with more than a decade of experience, including eight seasons at the Charlottetown Festival. Also an accomplished writer and director, she crafted the book and lyrics for the musical. A skilled musician, producer, and educator, Stodolak composed the music, and orchestrates Chris, Mrs. with a signature mix of warmth and sophistication. The two met while working on Elf: The Musical at Theatre Aquarius, and together, they co-founded Boldly Productions – which produced Chris Mrs. – to combine their passion for storytelling and musical theatre.
Chris, Mrs. follows Ben Chris, a widowed ad executive and self-proclaimed holiday grinch, as he visits his family’s mountain lodge with his teenage daughter Claire, mischievous twins Samuel and Samantha, and his glamorous but manipulative girlfriend, Vicki. Ben, hopeful of landing a promotion at his high-powered job, seeks to convince his brother Charlie, who runs the lodge, to sell it. But when his kids discover an engagement ring in Ben’s luggage, they assume that he plans to propose to Vicki – an idea they can’t stomach. Foregoing gifts, the twins write to Santa for help, and their wish is seemingly answered through Holly, a cheerful seasonal employee at the lodge. Holly’s warmth and positivity bring Christmas magic back to the family and (of course) spark a budding romance with Ben.
As the story unfolds, holiday festivities, family tensions, and earnest moments collide, with soaring songs and sparkling dance numbers enhancing its charm. Chris, Mrs. celebrates family, love, and the rediscovery of the holiday spirit – making it a potential festive, irresistibly feel-good tradition for audiences – and an ideal seasonal album.
Chris, Mrs. comes to life as an album
Almost as soon as the musical debuted, Kerr and Stodolak were bombarded with recurring audience requests: “Where can I listen?” and when is the show playing next? And the answers were complicated by the second debut in these new parents’ personal lives. As Kerr explains, “we knew this Christmas we would have our hands full with our new baby, and we wouldn’t be able to run the show again. So we decided to focus this year on making an album, so that you could bring Chris, Mrs. home for the holidays.”
The album offered Stodolak a tasty opportunity to reimagine the show’s orchestration. “With the live show, we have a seven-piece band. With the album, I expand the sound and fill out the orchestrations with 12 musicians,” he says. “The album has some familiar faces, but also some new vocalists. So it was exciting to bring new colour to those songs.” The powerhouse music will resonate with listeners who know the live production, of course, but Stodolak also took deliberate pains to consider “how a listener who hasn’t seen the show consumes and understands the story, and what needs to be adjusted to make sure it’s clear”.
Broadway Star Power
The album boasts an impressive lineup of Broadway talent, including Adam Jacobs, Danielle Wade (who originated the role of Holly), Samantha Pauly and Danny Burstein – along with members from the original Chris, Mrs. workshop and world premiere cast. These include AJ Bridel, Kolton Stewart, Kale Penny, Henry Firmston, Sarah Lynn Strange, Isaac Grates-Myers, and Finn Cofell. Additionally, Robert Ball, Sam Boucher, Megan Dallan, Deann DeGruijter, and Curtis Sullivan provide additional ensemble vocals.
Hearing his music performed by such notable artists has Stodolak pinching himself: “Personally, it’s a dream come true. Especially coming from Hamilton, Ontario, which geographically is a day’s drive from New York City, but can feel like a lifetime of work away. To hear it sung by someone like Adam Jacobs, whose originating version of Proud of Your Boy is really influential for me, is otherworldly.” The realization that the recording brought home for him were the moments when “you forget that you actually wrote this music” and that “it doesn’t really belong to you anymore. In the sense that, there are now people who know a vocal part, or an instrumental part better than you, even though you wrote it and that it is ultimately doing what you want it to do, which is to be shared.”
Stodolak highlights Wade’s transformative performances on the album, particularly on tracks like “Ready to Try” and “Capture the Moment”. “Danielle is such an incredible storyteller,” he enthuses. “‘Ready to Try’ speaks to that primal instinct, not just around the holidays and New Year’s, of trying to be better and to do better. The reality is, most of us are a mess. And her performance captures those inner thoughts and admissions in a way that’s super-relatable.” And another song she sings on the album is “Capture the Moment,” which “isn’t steeped in Christmas but is rather an anthem for being present and living in the moment. It’s the moment where the kids fall in love with her – and no doubt, where the audience does, as well.” (Read more about Wade’s artful portrayal of Holly in this profile article on sesayarts.com)
Kerr recalls vividly the excitement of recording in New York. She and Stodolak flew in and out in one day, while her parents watched their newborn at home. “It was a whirlwind,” she admits, “but the excitement and energy of the city was rejuvenating. There sometimes feels like a foreboding dark cloud over the industry here, but being there and seeing all the people just head over heels in love with theatre — it was invigorating!”
Family Traditions and Festive Inspirations
From the snow-globe inspired set to the gorgeous harmonies and the pervasive sense of renewal, the couple’s personal love of Christmas is stitched deeply into the fabric of the show. In fact, Kerr and Stodolak infused Chris, Mrs. directly with their personal holiday experiences. The mixing of the carols in “A Christmas Song” is inspired by Katie’s family tradition of singing carols together every year on Christmas Eve. “I definitely threw in ‘Dominic the Donkey’ for my brother”, she laughs. “We heard the song when we were kids, and thought it was the funniest thing ever.” A smiling Stodolak alludes to his own cryptic personal contribution: “There’s a joke about a pickle in a tree in the show. . . . I’ll leave it at that!” Suffice it to say that Christmas is a significant holiday for their respective families – and for Kerr and Stodolak as new parents. Although it is at once the most loving, stressful, funny and frustrating week of the year, “I am here for it!” enthuses Kerr.
Yes, they have favourites!
The duo are refreshingly candid about their favorite tracks on the album. Kerr loves “All I Want for Christmas”, because “there’s a lot of fun wordplay and double entendres – but it also just captures the irrationality of adolescent love in a way that always makes me smile. Plus, given that “AJ Bridel is one of the funniest and most talented performers in this country,” Kerr simply never gets tired of listening to her.
Stodolak gravitates to “Are You There?,” describing it as “very Sondheim-esque in its composition”, and admiring its emotional depth. “It illustrates the importance of Holly and the role she has in all of their lives. Her main insecurity is that she doesn’t belong. And right at the moment she comes back and chooses to receive the love she deserves, the rest of our characters are feverishly searching for her.”
So what’s Next for Chris, Mrs.?
As new parents, Kerr and Stodolak are taking a short break. But they are already mapping the future of Chris, Mrs. “Promptly on Dec. 26, we’ll be hitting the ground running, finalizing plans on when and where you can see Chris, Mrs. again,” says Stodolak. In the meantime, limited edition merchandise and sheet music are available for purchase on ChrisMrs.com, and of course, the studio album is now streaming on all platforms: Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
In closing, Kerr offers her seasonal take on the unique value of the Chris, Mrs. experience: “It’s like a trendy gingerbread latte—a nostalgic holiday flavour, but modern and fresh.” Stodolak, ever grounded, chimes in with a grin: “Trendy latte, but with regular old milk.”
And now, thanks to the Chris, Mrs. album, every note awaits savouring at home.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2024
