This ‘Miracle’ a holiday sweetheartBy Paul Kolas Telegram and Gazette Reviewer STURBRIDGE— There truly must be a Santa Claus, because this reviewer asked Santa to spare him the annual pandemic of sitting through more versions of “A Christmas Carol” than the links on Jacob Marley’s chains and, lo and behold, Santa answered his wish by delivering Stageloft Repertory Theater’s adorably warmhearted adaptation of “Miracle on 34th Street” on Thursday night. Director Jeremy Woloski does just about everything he can to make you feel like you’re watching a live version of the venerable 1947 film, including the poignant inclusion of Cyril Mockridge’s original music score. When a drunken Macy’s Santa is fired by one of the store’s rising young executives, Doris Walker, she hires a jovial man named Kris Kringle to take his place as the department store Santa. Doris is a no-nonsense divorcée soured by life’s setbacks and determined to keep her young daughter Susan on the straight and narrow path of common sense. The last thing either one of them believes is that Santa Claus is more than just a fantasy. Kringle becomes a sensation when he advises children and their parents to look for the present they really want in rival stores, such as Gimble’s, rather than settle for an alternative present at Macy’s. Rather than hurt sales, customers are captivated by such unconventional honesty, so Kringle is given a hearty reprieve by Mr. Macy himself for his “stroke of genius.” But when he claims to be the real Santa Claus, a hack store psychologist conspires to have Kringle put away in a mental ward in Bellevue. Whether or not Kringle really is who he claims to be, he challenges Doris and Susan, among others, to reconsider their skepticism. A trial informs much of the second act, as opposing sides battle to confirm or deny Kringle’s sanity. What makes “Miracle” so durable is that nothing much has changed since 1947. More than ever, we’ve become so lost in the consumerism of the holidays, that we forget their true meaning, yet this fable is anything but preachy. It’s uplifting in a slyly reassuring, comfortably old-fashioned way. It makes you feel good in the best sense. Mark Bourdeau is wonderfully embracing as Kris Kringle. He acts the part with a gentle sincerity that plays very effectively off of the terrifically accomplished performances offered by Stacie Beland as Doris, and Isabel Day as Susan. Beland’s Doris is initially a balled-up wad of constricted feeling, a study in unhappy reserve and dull practicality that has rubbed off on her daughter in stunting ways. Day, who will be alternating the role of Susan with Emily Anne O’Connell, is a remarkably precocious young actress who taps effortlessly into Susan’s premature state of cynicism. It’s lovely to watch the liberating effect Bourdeau’s mysterious Kringle has on mother and daughter, and the ways they warm to each other because of it. Beland’s Doris becomes expansive and charming in place of cold and brittle. Day’s Susan is set free with a child’s giddy imagination. Zach Murphy turns in an ardent and touching performance as Doris’s romantic interest, Fred Gailey, who also defends Kringle in the trial. He and Beland share an especially bittersweet scene in the second act before all ends well. Robert Latino is slitheringly entertaining as the Santa-bashing psychologist Albert Sawyer. Pungent contributions are also made by Fred D’Angelo as Macy’s assistant manager Mr. Shellhammer, Libby Schap as Ms. Adams, Rip Pellaton as Mr. Macy, Todd Darling as both Mr. Gimble and Judge Harper, Dianne Pellaton as Mrs. Mara, Kimberley Peretti as Dr. Pierce, Sharon Kneeland as Dr. Rogers, and Neal Martel as a very inebriated Santa. They, and the rest of the mostly young cast, make this a sweetheart of a show. Thank you, Santa. |