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‘Miracle on 34th Street, the Play’ for the holidays at MTG
The MTG has Joe Leverton as Fred Gayley, Melissa Schnepper (back) as Judge Harper, Jerry Bredeson (front) as Kris Kringle, and Alex Bredeson as Finley the Bailiff in their performance of ‘Miracle on 34th Street, the Play’.
The MTG has Joe Leverton as Fred Gayley, Melissa Schnepper (back) as Judge Harper, Jerry Bredeson (front) as Kris Kringle, and Alex Bredeson as Finley the Bailiff in their performance of ‘Miracle on 34th Street, the Play’.

MONROE — Monroe Theatre Guild is currently in rehearsals for their 2021 Holiday production of “Miracle on 34th Street, the Play”, which is adapted by Mountain Community Theatre from the novel by Valentine Davies, and based upon the Twentieth Century Fox motion picture Miracle on 34th Street. 

This play, directed for MTG by Denise Plantenberg and Dave Bristow, is part of the Colony Brands Performance Series. The inspiration for the story, written by Davies in 1947, came to him as he stood in line in a busy department store during the holidays, thinking about how commercial Christmas and the holidays had become. Seventy-four years later the story still resonates.

As the play opens on Thanksgiving Day in New York’s busy shopping district, the audience meets Kris Kringle in front of Macy’s Department store, in need of a place to stay and a job. With preparations for the famous holiday parade underway, Macy’s Personnel Manager, Doris Walker has a problem, an intoxicated Santa. As fate would have it, she discovers Kris as the perfect substitute to ride in the parade as the man with the white beard and the red suit. 

Later employed as Macy’s Santa for the holidays, Kris reveals to an unbelieving public he is the real Santa Claus. Doris and her daughter Susan are skeptical about the existence of the fictional character, but realize they like this gentle, bearded old man. Working at Macy’s during their most competitive shopping season, Kris miraculously convinces the retail leaders of New York City that Christmas is not about profits, it’s about giving from the heart. 

Unimpressed by Kris’s charm however, Macy’s spiteful Vocational Counselor declares Kris is delusional and potentially dangerous to their customers. He plots to have Kris committed to a psychiatric hospital for the rest of his days. Now Kris is in a New York State court, and with the help of a true friend, trying to prove he is the real Santa Claus. Can Christmas be saved for all the children who believe in him? Can Susan’s faith in Christmas miracles be renewed?

The cast of “Miracle on 34th Street” includes actors of all ages, from 6 years to 60-plus, with entire families on the cast list. The cast invites everyone to spend their holiday together as they bring this family friendly and much-loved Christmas story to life on MTG’s Colony Brand’s Stage for the first time in MTG history. 

Eight performances are scheduled over two weekends at Monroe Theatre Guild, 910 16th Avenue, Monroe. Show dates are 7 p.m., Dec. 10; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dec. 11; and 2 p.m. Dec. 12. The second weekend of shows are Dec. 16-18 at 7 p.m., with another show at 2 p.m. on Dec. 19. 

Tickets are on sale on the MTG website monroetheatre.com, at the Monroe Arts Center during their regular business hours or by calling 608-325-1111. To safeguard everyone’s Happy Holiday, audience members will be required to wear a face mask at all performances.