Rudolph: The Musical!

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Photophobia is a physiological over-sensitivity to light, but the malady takes cultural forms as well, especially regarding those who threaten to shine brighter than us. Exhibit A: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Jeered at and cast out by his community on the basis of the color—and wattage—of his nose, in this puppets-and-costumes stage musical based on the beloved 1960s Rankin-Bass holiday special, Rudolph falls in with a gang of social pariahs: latent dentist Hermie the Elf, the Abominable Snow Monster, and Yukon Cornelius, whose strange dalliance with the monster is only surpassed by an even weirder relationship with his pickax. It’s off to the Island of Misfit Toys before bad weather gives all a shot at redemption—and a lesson about the importance of cultural diversity. Sort of. No need to rush: The fifth-annual run of this holiday classic sets up shop in Raleigh for a month, starting this Friday. —Byron Woods