Live on Stage at Ben Lomond’s Park Hall Nov. 16 – Dec 9
Some of the cast of “Miracle on 34th Street, the Play.” • Photo Credit: Alie Mac.
Mountain Community Theater is proud to present its very own version of the heartwarming holiday classic, “Miracle on 34th Street, the Play,” directed by Peter Gelblum. The production opens at Ben Lomond’s historic Park Hall, 9400 Mill Street, on Friday, November16, and continues on weekends through Sunday, December 9.
Friday and Saturday performances are at 8:00 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. General Admission tickets are $20.00, Students and Seniors are $17.00, and all children under 12 get in for only $10. There will be a champagne reception after the show on opening night. There will be a special talk back with the cast and director after the Sunday matinees on November 25 and December 2. Tickets will be available to the public on October 26 at www.brownpapertickets.com.
From left: Jackson Wolffe as Kris Kringle, Ann McCormick as Doris Walker, and Hadassah Ring as Susan. • Photo Credit: Alie Mac
The story is well-known to moviegoers: By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s staff psychologist, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa.
“This is a tale that we want to believe in, that creates a world we seem to desperately desire, free of the blatant commercialism that surrounds us, where love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards. What we want Christmas to be all about, really.”
— Santa Cruz Sentinel
From Right — Jackson Wolffe as Kris Kringle and Steve Capasso as Sawyer • Photo Credit: Alie Mac
The cast of dozens includes both MCT favorites and newcomers: Jackson Wolffe as Kris, Ann McCormick, Nat Robinson, Hadassah Ring, Steve Capasso, Chelsea Terrell, Rita Wadsworth, Melissa Gomez, Larry Cuprys, Kathleen Eschen-Pipes, and Geraldine Byrne.
MCT’s founders wrote the adaptation for “Miracle” in 1982, and it has been updated several times since. The script is published by Dramatic Publishing Company; hundreds of theater companies all over the United States and Canada have licensed and performed it.
This will be MCT’s 10th production of its “Miracle” and its first since 2012. Peter Gelblum, who is directing this production, starred as Kris Kringle in the 2010 and 2012 productions. For more information about MCT’s own Miracle, see www.mctshows.org/our-miracle.
Mountain Community Theater, 9400 Mill Street, Ben Lomond. Ph.#: (831) 336-4777. Website: www.mctshows.org