'Miracle on 34th Street' comes to the Thomaston Opera House

PRESS RELEASE

The time is Thanksgiving Day 1947, the day of department store giant Macy’s annual parade that draws millions of people to New York City streets. But there’s a problem: Macy’s parade Santa Claus is, well … drunk.
Fortunately, someone steps up to take that important role, a gentleman with a white beard named Mr. Kris Kringle. Could he possibly be the real Santa Claus? We’re about to find out in the delightfully heartwarming play “Miracle on 34th Street” being staged by Landmark Theatre in the Thomaston Opera House December 6-21.
The play, co-directed by Gary Kingsbury and Chris Guertin, explores themes of imagination, faith and hope, offering a perfect setting to enjoy the wonderful spirit of the Christmas season. It’s a triumph of belief over commercialism that will leave audiences of all ages filled with glowing holiday spirit.
The focus is of course on Mr. Kringle, who winds up in a court having to prove not only his sanity but his very existence. It’s a trial that promises to leave everyone smiling, especially with the compelling performance of veteran actor Timothy Cleary as Kris Kringle, a role he has taken on stages for over a decade.
The play, based on the Academy Award-winning 1947 movie “Miracle on 34th Street” and drawn from a novel by Valentine Davies, has become a perennial favorite of the Christmas season. This stage adaptation captures all of the humor and delight of the film with lots of holiday music and even some of Santa’s sprightly elves.
The story finds a pragmatic young mother (Priscilla Arcamone) and her cynical 6-year-old daughter (Kinsley Tortora) confronting the reality of Kris Kringle and his unrelenting kindness and generosity. And there’s a romantic tangle, too, with that divorced mother’s off-and-on relationship with a convincing young lawyer played by Daniel Tortora.
There’s also got to be a villain in the story, right? In “Miracle” it’s Albert Sawyer, the creepy Macy’s store psychologist played by veteran actor John Fabiani, who is determined to prove Kris Kringle is a fraud. He doesn’t quite get away with it in the end, of course, because after all this is a happy production.
“Miracle” features a large cast of adults and youngsters, many of them veterans of the Landmark stage. You definitely won’t want to miss the wacky zookeeper and that drunk Santa! The show features music directed by Brianna Ortiz with charming choreography by Shelby Griffin.
It opens at the Opera House on Saturday December 6 at 7 p.m. and continues Sunday December 7 at 2 p.m. Other performances are scheduled for December 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 7 p.m. and December 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. Admission is $26 (plus fees).
Tickets are available online at landmarkcommunitytheatre.org or by calling the box office 860-283-6250.
And don’t forget you can give the gift of live theater for the holidays. Purchase a gift certificate in any amount; they never expire and can be used towards any of the Landmark productions or events. Only available at the box office, not online.