Miracle at 34th Street

 

adapted by Mountain Community Theater
from the 1947 film
directed by Sandie Cond and Sabrina DeSousa
Thurs.-Sat., Dec. 3-19, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2:00 p.m.
The Davies Foundation Auditorium
52 Church St., Kingston, ON

Doris Walker, event co-ordinator for the New York department store Macy's, has a problem. It's Thanksgiving, and the man she hired to play Santa Claus in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade has been getting into the wrong kind of spirit — he's drunk.

Luckily, a man who not only looks like Santa but is named Kris Kringle happens to be at hand. Doris asks him to stand in for the drunken Santa, which he does so well that she hires him to play Santa at the flagship Macy's store (on 34th Street) for the Christmas season.

Kris starts directing some parents to other stores where they can get the gifts their children want for less than Macy's is charging. Management isn't so sure about this, but it generates so much good publicity that the store decides to encourage it, and rival stores adopt the same policy.

However, Doris doesn't like Kris telling her daughter Susan—who she has taught not to believe in fairy tales or Santa Claus—that he is the real Santa. Concerned that he is delusional and could be dangerous, she decides to fire him. By this time, though, he is a hit with management. As a compromise, a psychiatric exam is arranged. It doesn't go well for Kris and he ends up in Bellevue Hospital.

Threatened with permanent commitment, Kris finds himself in a court hearing where he is challenged to prove that he is the one and only Santa Claus. That sounds like a tall order, but a letter of encouragement that Susan sends to Kris indirectly helps him out of the jam he's in.

The story for the classic film Miracle on 34th Street was written by Valentine Davies. The film and a novella version were both released in 1947. The movie is widely considered one of the best films of that year.

Cast

Doris - Julia Moore

Employee/Parent/Balloon Man - Dale Jones

Johnny's Parent/Halloran - Cindy Chappell

Shellhammer/Pedestrian 1 - Valerie Winslow

Grandparent/Finley - Carol McKay

Bad Lady/Foster Mother/Mara - Lorna Jodoin

Female 1/Sharon's Parent/Sawyer - Kim Dressel

Kris Kringle - Phil Perrin

Fred - Damien Schaefer

Drunk Santa/Judge - Leonard Irwin

Policeman/Postie - Richard Palimaka

Duncan/Postie Al/Parent/Pedestrian 2 - Pam Briand

Hipster/Macy - Rob Bruce

Pierce/Bloomingdale - Terry Wade

Elf Z - William Smith-Blythe

Elf Q - Jessica Pelletier

Elf J - Madelin Dawson

Elf W - Taylor Moore

Susan - Amanda Cheung

Child 1 - Reed Mastorakos

Child 2/Johnny - Andrew Cheung

Dutch Girl/Elf - Rowen Picard

Child 3/Sharon - Tasha Coe

Child 4/Megan - Mirren Henson

Child 5 - Danica Fennigan

Janet Mara/Child 6 - Ellie Helmsteadt

Street Vendor/Parent/Employee/Pedestrian 3 - Sarah Henson

 

Production Crew

Producers - Bob Brooks, Elizabeth Taylor

Director - Sandie Cond, Sabrina DeSousa

Stage Manager - Rick Taylor

Asst. Stage Manager - Angie Roberts

Set Design/Chief Carpenter - Bob Brooks

Lighting Design - Peter Cassidy

Sound Design & Operation - Michael Gourgon

Costume Design - Liz Schell

Lighting Operator - Bob Brooks

Props - Ali Snider

Set Construction - Grant Buckler, John Corrigan, Michael Gourgon, Doug McNichol, Liz Schell, Cori Schroder, Elizabeth Taylor

Lobby Photography - Claudia Wade

Archival Photography - Grant Buckler

Lobby Art Curator - Karen Peperkorn

Front of House Coordinator - Steve Powell