A change in plans led Charles Edward Hall to the role that defined his acting career: Santa.
Hall, a 1973 Murray State graduate, played the role of Santa Claus in Radio City Music Hall’s “Christmas Spectacular” for 36 seasons before retiring in 2022.
Hall will return to the beginnings of his career when he serves as the Grand Marshal for this year’s Homecoming Parade.
Before his big debut as Santa, Hall earned his degree in theatre and speech communications from Murray State, starring in several productions.
A Frankfort native, Hall said he chose Murray State because of two teachers, Phil Bryan and Diane Kelly – both Murray State graduates. Bryan, who served as registrar for XX years, was Hall’s student teacher in the 8th grade and encouraged him to take a speech class in high school after hearing him speak.
Once Hall began studying at the University, he started working in the theatre department and learning from his mentor Robert E. Johnson.
Johnson served as the first chair of the theatre department.
Reflecting on his time at Murray State, Hall said the Vietnam War was a strange time to go to school, but it brought people together.
“It was the time when ROTC was mandatory for men, and it was the time of growing your hair long and experimenting with music and peace and love,” Hall said. “I think that to be at Murray State, it gave me an opportunity to be part of the community.”
Hall said he always wanted to be an actor and entertainer. The theatre department gave him the opportunity to perform on stage, as he auditioned for every production he could.
Hall planned to work in a union acting company after graduation and landed a position at LR Tech Company.
“I had the forethought of knowing that as an actor, I needed to be in the union because, otherwise, I couldn’t really survive without getting paid,” he said.
Two years later, Hall faced another decision on where he should take his career- California or New York. He chose New York.
When he arrived in New York, Hall worked for productions that paid as little as $5 a week before he landed his big break as the Wicked Witch in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
“That was because of my commedia background, that I had worked a lot with mime and mass movement,” Hall said. “[Frank Wagner] liked my interpretation of the role and that was my first big Broadway show. It was great. It was a very pivotal moment.”
After playing other roles, Hall returned to Radio City where producers needed an actor to play Ebneezer Scrooge, a role Hall has played before. Instead of auditioning for Scrooge, the show’s producer, Bob Yanni, asked Hall to read for the role of Santa.
“I found my Santa from when I was a child,” Hall said. “My uncle Walker used to tap on the windows. He didn’t have a suit, only a hat and beard…and that was the Santa from my childhood in Frankfort, Kentucky, that I tapped into at that audition. I don’t really know what happened, but I became Santa.”
Santa became his longest role and his most rewarding, as he said it taught him the true meaning of Christmas.
“I read something the other day that said thanks for being their Santa for 17 years,” Hall said. “The family has been coming back to Radio City [for years]. If I can help people believe, then my job is accomplished.”
Looking back on his career, Hall said the most memorable experience was during his second year playing Santa, when there was a problem backstage.
“I can’t tell you what I did except that I had these kids and I brought them down. People laughed, cheered and then when the set was ready, the show went on and it was a moment that really turned my head,” Hall said. “I no longer cared about playing entities because of the power that Santa has, if you have people believe and I got the greatest reviews of my life that night.”
When Hall was asked to return to Murray State to serve as this year’s Grand Marshal, he said it was a shock.
“I was just surprised that they thought of me to do it, so I’m really honored,” Hall said. “I think it’s going to be fun, and I get a chance to find out what’s going on with the University.”
