Dustin Staggs
NWA Democrat-Gazette
Fort Smith Little Theatre presents “A Hall and Mark Christmas,” an unauthorized parody that lovingly skewers the Hallmark holiday movie formula. This unique off-season production, which runs from Dec. 12 to 14, offers a sleigh ride of humor, catchy melodies and just enough Christmas joy to warm even the coldest hearts. Tickets are $7 per person, allowing for a fun and economical evening out.
This program, written by long-time collaborators Grace Andrews and Hunter Doohan and directed by Andrews, contains all of the predictable Hallmark clichés people know and love (or enjoy mocking). According to the theatre’s website, the story revolves around Hall, a big-city entrepreneur who despises Christmas but is grudgingly summoned home to help salvage her family’s toy factory. Don’t tell Hall, but her parents are actually Santa and Mrs. Claus and are conspiring to have Hall fall back in love with her old flame, Mark.
Hall may be able to reclaim the joy of the holidays with the aid of her quirky best friend, some dancing elves and the charm of her small-town ex.
When Andrews, a self-proclaimed Hallmark movie skeptic turned fan, was asked to write a comedic parody for the Fort Smith Little Theatre, she saw “A Hall and Mark Christmas” as an obvious choice. The jokes write themselves, she said.
Her sister and brother-in-law watch every new Hallmark movie religiously, she said. During the covid-19 pandemic, Andrews lived with them and worked remotely, and she said it got to the point where she began to look forward to seeing the movies with them.
“I love them for if I just want some mindless joy to watch,” Andrews said. “But I think they are so easy to make fun of at the same time.”
This production is Andrews’ directorial debut, but she and Doohan have been composing parodies and satires together since they were members of the Young Actors Guild. Andrews started in YAG in 2003, when she was 8 years old. She and Doohan then went on to write YAG’s alumni shows together from 2012 to 2017.
Andrews said she likes to think of “A Hall and Mark Christmas” as a long “Saturday Night Live” sketch. It even comes with its very own cast that has a hard time not breaking character.
“We had a read-through recently, and we couldn’t get through a page without people laughing mid-sentence, which is really fun to watch,” Andrews said. “Because, I mean, at least for Hunter and me, we think we’re funny.”
Eric Wells plays Mark in the production and is a member of the Board of Directors at FSLT. He’s the first to admit he has trouble not laughing and breaking character.
Whenever Wells read the script, he said, “I got very much like the Ken vibe of the ‘Barbie’ movie … And [Andrews] goes, ‘Yes! Basically, Ken loves Christmas.’”
Wells is a long-time community theatre performer and director and praised the show’s inventiveness, saying the entire cast has a moment to shine.
Allie Schneider, who plays Hall and teaches English at Greenwood High School, has joyously loved assigning herself the homework of watching as many Hallmark movies as she can.
The role of Hall has been fun for her, she said, “because I just have an excuse to watch Hallmark movies, which I already like. I really enjoy watching them.” Her favorite, she said, is “A Princess for Christmas.”
One of Schneider’s favorite moments from production rehearsals is the musical parody “Believe,” which is a reinterpretation of Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go.” Schneider said she’s not even in that number, but she thinks audiences under 30 are going to “eat it up.”
To accentuate the satirical element of the show, most characters are referred to as Big City Boyfriend, Quirky Best Friend, or Mom — similar to most Hallmark movies where the characters are that one-note.
“A Hall and Mark Christmas” is suggested for ages 12 and older but has something for everyone: humor, singing and the perfect amount of festive insanity.
This off-season production is for both those who enjoy Hallmark movies or enjoy making fun of them.
“I really just want everyone to have a good time and laugh,” said Andrews. “That sounds so basic, but I think that just with entertainment now, I think comedy always wins, to be honest.”
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FAQ
“A Hall and Mark Christmas” (Off-Season Production)
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12-14
WHERE — Fort Smith Little Theatre, 401 N. Sixth St., Fort Smith
COST — $7 per person at the door.
INFO — fslt.org/a-hall-and-mark-christmas
