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