The heartwarming story, originally written for the 1947 movie classic of the same name, is brilliantly brought to life in a fully staged new musical production. The story follows the adventures of an elderly gentleman named Kris Kringle, who is forced out of his cozy life at Maplewood Retirement Home on Thanksgiving Day because he continues to claim that he is Santa Claus. Is Kris sane or is Kris Santa?
Kris arrives in Manhattan during the last-minute preparations for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving parade where he discovers that the person hired to play Santa Claus has been drinking. Kris is horrified for the children who will be watching and complains to the parade organizer, Doris Walker, about the intoxicated fraud. Doris fires the Santa on the spot and offers the job to Kris, who reluctantly agrees. And so the adventure begins.
Kris alters the lives of everyone he encounters, especially Susan, Doris' daughter, who has been raised to be realistic and practical. She is a pragmatic girl who is certainly too sensible to believe in Santa Claus. But after meeting Kris, a man presenting himself as the authentic Santa Claus, Susan discovers the most important gift of all, the gift of believing.
Featuring an imaginative set, stylish costumes, choreography of the period and the wonderful sound of Big Band music, this holiday plum of a show is sure to leave every member of the audience believing in miracles -- and perhaps even Santa -- once again.
The show is co-produced by Mainstage and Troupe America, Inc.
Standard tickets are $15. For further information and to order tickets, call the MSU Box Office at (973) 655-5112.
MSU is located at the intersection of Valley Road and Normal Avenue in Upper Montclair. The campus is one mile south of the junction of routes 3 and 46, 14 miles west of New York City.
More information on the University is available on its website: www.montclair.edu.
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