Southside Theatre Guild presents holiday favorite

Is he really Santa Claus or isn’t he?

That’s the mystery at the center of Southside Theatre Guild’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street,” and the answer, of course, lies in the heart of children and others who are young at heart.

Kris Kringle is told he will forced to leave the home for the aged because he is physically well. Doctors believe that he might be mentally ill though because he believes that he is Santa Claus. Kringle leaves the home and ends up replacing a Santa Claus on a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade float. This in turn leads to a job playing Santa Claus at Macy’s but when he continues to insist he is the real Santa Claus, he ends up in court and his identity must be decided once and for all.

“Miracle on 34th Street,” directed by Eileen Baldwin features a large cast, a beautifully decorated set by Dwain Eidson and a heaping help of magic and Christmas spirit.

Baldwin stated that she was attracted to directing this show because of its message of believing in magic.

“The world is so cynical now,” said Baldwin. “This show is about opening your heart and that’s what Christmas is really about.”
One of the main characters in the play is a little girl, Susan Walker, who has been taught by her mother, Doris, not to believe in anything that she can’t see with her own eyes. As she begins to interact with Kringle more, she begins to use her imagination and play.

Children and their sense of wonder and belief in magic is a major theme in the play and Baldwin has been very impressed with the cast of children performing in the show.

“They learned their lines quickly and know where to go and when,” said Baldwin, adding that one girl, Gretchen Adams, learned another language for her role and other children in the cast, some as young as five, have really done well with their parts. The cast includes Terry Hoffman as Kringle, Debbie Lewis as Doris Walker, Jacqueline Berthold as Susan and Scott Kurkjan as Fred Gailey. Baldwin stated that this show is a family show in more ways than one, as many brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and daughters and sons share time on the stage. Baldwin’s dog, Merlin, also makes a cameo appearance in the play.

The community has also been involved in the show by donating unwrapped toys that will decorate the set and will be donated to local charities that benefit children after the run of the show is over. Toy donations will be accepted at the theater before performances until Dec. 18.
“Miracle on 34th Street” will be performed Thursdays-Sundays, Dec. 8-18 at Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn. Show times are 8 p.m., Thursdays-Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $12 on Thursdays, $12 for students and $15 for adults for all other performances. Phone 770-969-0956 or visit www.stgplays.com to make your reservations today.

Southside Theatre Guild will also hold auditions for Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. There are several roles for adult men and women and one role for a young male.

login to post comments