Among the most treasured holiday film favourites, Miracle on 34th Street, whether in the 1947 or the 1984 version, is certainly high on the list.
Its charming story of a little girl’s journey from Christmas skeptic to avid believer is, like many Christmas stories, one of conversion to the wonderful values that underlie the real Christmas narrative. However, translating the film version to the stage is by no means easy.
Though not entirely successful, the current Arts Club production on the Granville Island stage certainly deserves a viewing by fans of the story and of live theatre. It’s running through Dec. 29.
The main challenge with translating a work from film to stage is technical. Whereas in a film one can easily (even if expensively) show large-scale scenes, such as the annual Macy’s Santa Claus Parade, such scenes are almost impossible to repeat on an ordinary stage. Then, too, there is difficulty in switching quickly from one scene to another – easily managed on film by editing.
Indeed, it is in attempting to tackle these very challenges that the Arts Club production of Miracle on 34th Street understandably encounters some difficulty. Even when resorting to clever use of a revolve, using minimal but effective scenic elements and props, the production occasionally becomes “stagey,” requiring a measure of goodwill from the audience. One wonders if perhaps greater use of projections might have offered a way out of the difficulty – but perhaps this would merely have served as a reminder of the film versions, thereby underscoring the production problem.
Despite this, however, the Arts Club manages to deliver a delightful, often hilarious, and captivating mounting of the piece.
In large measure, the success of the production is due to the small, talented cast, who bring to life a multitude of roles, ranging from harried, impoverished mothers to money-grubbing company directors.
While it is somewhat unfair to single out cast members, plaudits must go to Kevin McNulty for his delightful portrayal of a man determined to convert a little girl into believing in things beyond the merely dull, practical, and physical. At the same time, Kevin McNulty as Kris Kringle brings to the production a delightfully gentle, understated interpretation of the role (blessedly free from “Ho, Ho” utterances) – one which will make not only children but also adults firm believers in the play’s endearing message (though I personally would have liked a chubbier Kris Kringle in accordance with the script). McNulty is certainly a key factor in the success of the production.
In addition to this, one must applaud the creative work of Alala Hamer’s superb costume design, which goes a long way to establishing the work in both time and place. Full credit must also go to Amer Olek’s set design, which, despite the challenges in transposing the film to the stage, enables the evening to flow with a clear understanding of time and place. It is far more than one has any right to expect from such a company.
And, of course, there is something a stage production offers which no film can – the interaction between live audience and live actors. This is, indeed, an element of supreme importance when all are participating in a vehicle which above all demands a warm, emotional interaction between cast and audience. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the great trial scene where Kris Kringle is required to prove that he is real. The result is transformative, not only for the characters but also for all those who embrace this story of conversion, with its asseveration of the important and central meaning of Christmas.
We must be grateful that the Arts Club has had the courage, in this increasingly skeptical, materialistic world, to offer a reminder of so much that is ignored in this festive season: the need to see Christmas as a time to look beyond the material and embrace the spiritual. The production even closes with a clear statement of the great Nativity itself. This is seasonal family entertainment that all will enjoy – and from which many will benefit.
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