BWW Previews: 90S TWIST ON LITTLE MATCH GIRL at Straz Center

Coming to Straz' Teco Theatre on December 2-5 is a twist on holiday classic Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl." No longer a sad story, this adaption is lighthearted and set in the 90s where Dodge, a poor, homeless 12-year-old orphan, befriends James, a 14-year-old runaway who comes from wealth.

"Dodge helps him see things differently," said director Audrey Siegler.

With a cast of 12 doubling roles, ages ranging from nine to 14, the show features Breena McGuire, Jackson Fowler, Kayla Smith, Ivy Mandia, Linus O'Palick, Evangeline Iarossi, Alex Laurinaitis, Abby Turlington, Stefan Simonetti, Emmerson Grabill, Isabella Iarossi, and Zoe Priolo.

Audrey said that show has some fun references that the audience can definitely recognize as a backdrop of Tampa Bay.

"There are beautiful messages in this story. It's a lot about hope for the future and not giving up on your dreams," she said. "This show is something that anyone could enjoy at any age. Personally, I love all the little details we put into the set and the references. We pulled elements from St. Pete and the Tampa area to create a back alley that could be a place that we're all familiar with. With bringing in 90s references, a lot of research went into it."

The show references an old theatre gotten from the "Theatre on Franklin" when they were renovating, and indeed, the 1929 chair was a donation from Tampa Theatre.

"It's things like that we tried to incorporate and be authentic to the time and community, which hopefully people will pick up on the little details because we really enjoyed them and the cast helped have those conversations," she said. "The show focuses on friendship, family, and seeing someone else's point of view, which is important. It's a great way to get into the holiday spirit. Dodge has a line that says, 'no matter how bad things are right now, there's always hope. The show is about finding ground between two very uncommon characters."

In addition to the holiday performance, guests have an opportunity to donate to Metropolitan Ministries through Emma's Seeds of Kindness.

"Emma Bolton is a dance student who's been with us for a very long time. She created a Facebook group, Emma's Seeds of Kindness, focusing on giving back to the community, people in need, and the environment. She reached out to us, and we were already thinking of doing a food drive paired with this show, so it worked out really great."

In the walk-up, guests will also have a chance to learn about adoptions through a pop-up photo gallery with the Heart Gallery of Tampa's foster child program.

"Since our lead character is an orphan, we also wanted to partner with the Heart Gallery to try to help find forever homes for kids in foster care."

The Little Match Girl is Dec 2 - 5 at Straz' Teco Theatre. This production offers limited social distancing, with pod seating; those 12+ must show proof of a negative test or, as an alternative, may show proof of being fully vaccinated. Masks are required. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.strazcenter.org/Events/Patel-Shows/The-Little-Match-Girl.