Miracle on 34th Street in Rosebud: Believing, finding home

Laureen F. Guenther
Times Contributor

 

Miracle on 34th Street opens in Rosebud Theatre, Nov. 11.
“The story ultimately is a story about belief,” said director Paul Muir. “What does it mean to believe? Of course, it’s about believing in Santa Claus, or even you could say the spirit of Saint Nick, of what Kris Kringle represents.”
It’s also about much more.
“The other gorgeous thread that runs through it is this meaning of home,” he said. “The nature of home, the meaning of home and how important it is for us.”
That theme is as timely now, Muir said, as in 1947, when the first Miracle on 34th Street movie was released.
“So many people feel like they don’t have that sense of home,” he said. “We’re always kind of reaching for it or looking for it. We’re looking for a place that is home for us, that is, that sense of where we belong. And a huge part of this journey is about a group of people searching for home.
“When you couple that with the story of belief,” Muir added, “if we’re really going to believe in what the spirit of Kris Kringle is actually about, then we’d better believe there’s a place for us as well, because the two go together. Sometimes it does take a kind of miracle.”
Muir is pleased with the cast and crew helping him tell the story of this miracle.
“I’m totally thrilled with Tim Dixon who’s coming in from Nanaimo to do Kris Kringle,” he said.
Dixon started preparing for the role as soon as he accepted it.
“He was going to start growing his beard at the early part of the year, because of course, we wanted a real beard,” Muir said. “So we’d have these e-mail discussions about what kind of beard it should be, how long it should be. Every couple of months, he’d send me a photo of how the beard is coming along.”
Dixon’s preparation also went deeper, looking into Kris Kringle’s historical background, listening to the recorded speech of a Dutch-born Canadian man and learning that dialect.
“We haven’t even gotten to rehearsal,” Muir said, “(but) already Kris Kringle is all about the deep authenticity of who this man is.”
Cassia Schramm, a 2011 grad, plays Doris Walker. Jordan Cutbill, a 2004 graduate, plays Walker’s boyfriend, Fred Gailey. Hannah Andersen and Kaia Rose Wilson, Rosebud children, play Walker’s daughter Susan, and Asher Eliuk, a young Rosebud boy, is also in the show.
“To have kids in the show and have these (RSA) students as well as these seasoned RSA grads,” Muir said, “as well as seasoned professionals (like) Tim Dixon, it’s a great cross-section of cast.
“If you’re looking for Christmas this Christmas, truly, come to Rosebud,” he added. “Christmas is about belief. It’s about family. It’s about home. I believe this story will deliver that.”
Miracle on 34th Street opens Nov. 11 in Rosebud’s Opera House, and runs until Dec. 23. Matinee and evening performances include a meal. School shows are also scheduled. Get tickets at rosebudtheatre.com or 1-800-267-7553.