Doctor Pierce (Jerry Seward) and Kris Kringle (Chris Taylor) begin “Miracle on 34th Street” with an unfortunate conversation. Pierce informs Kringle he’s being evicted from the medical facility known as Maplewood — the board thinks Kringle is insane.
ELWOOD — Kris Kringle comes to town homeless and in need of employment. Luckily for him, a job just opened up at Macy’s.
A Santa Claus (Eric Bowman), is fired for coming to work drunk. As a result, Kris Kringle, a man who believes he’s really Santa Claus, is hired to replace him.
Kringle’s duties consist of interacting with kids while selling the overstocked toys as a way of granting their Christmas wishes.
He does not comply with the store’s request. Instead, he points parents to stores where the requested toy or gift is in stock at a lesser cost.
This incurs the ire of Doris Walker, a marketing executive for Macy’s, who has no time for disobedience or delusion.
Walker instills her no-nonsense attitude into her daughter, Susan by refusing to let her believe in Santa or be around any kind of Santa talk.
Doris Walker (Deana Mickels), a hard-nosed marketing executive for Macy’s, expresses disdain for Kris Kringle’s belief that he’s Santa Claus.
That’s really difficult when the new Santa claims to be the real Santa.
Early in the play, Walker asks Fred Gayley, her lawyer neighbor, to take Susan for the day — she doesn’t want her around festivities at the store.
This leads to a discussion between the two in which the audience will get a brief glimpse into Walker’s cold heart.
“She’s cynical. She’s been divorced, so, she really doesn’t want to get too attached to anything that might let her down,” said Deana Mickels, the actress portraying Walker in “Miracle on 34th Street,” slated for Elwood Opera House, Dec. 7-9 and 14-16.
Fred Gayley (Jon Noggle) tries to get to the bottom of why his neighbor Doris Walker (Deana Mickels), a marketing executive for Macy’s, doesn’t let her daughter believe in Santa Claus or fairy tales.
Eric Bowman, the play’s co-director, said this is the first time a play has been held for two weekends in the history of Duck Creek Players, the theater company producing the show.
Walker’s aversion doesn’t stop Kringle from insisting that he’s Santa Claus. The play follows his attempts to try and prove it, according to Bowman.
“There are things that happen throughout the play that are not necessarily magic, but yet can come across that way from an outside perspective,” he said.
This may leave some wondering: What exactly is the “miracle” that happens on 34th Street?
That, Bowman said, is for audiences to find out.
Kris Kringle (Chris Taylor) hears the request of an angry Megan (Ella Alvis) during a rehearsal of “Miracle on 34th Street” on Thursday.
