The Gifts of the Magi sets traditional holiday mood
Theatrical Outfit’s holiday season show, The Gifts of the Magi, is one of those feel good Christmas productions that harkens back to the days of Scrooge and Tiny Tim. It follows the lines of the Christmas specials like Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and even newer versions like Elf on the Shelf. There are differing characters, all living their own form of whimsy in a particular setting, a time of trouble, and then a happy ending. It is predictable, yes, but it holds the sweetness, joy, and bits of make believe that fuel December from start to finish. Who wants to see unescapable sadness when you are trying to toss tinsel?
Set in New York City, not modern day, but that fairy tale time in New York where the city was still full of opportunity and dreams fueled every person walking the streets. It was an era of immigration, high hopes of what New York and America meant, and the possible promise of fortune. This is where we meet our lovers, a young married couple – Jim (Nick Arapoglou) and Della (Caroline Freedlund). Their tightly woven love keeps them from falling victim to the harshness and desperation of their current predicament, well, for a while. We see them love, fall apart, forget what it was that they treasured most, and then come back to the simplest and most wonderful thing. Freedlund’s and Arapoglou’s strength in creating characters that are truly alive and fueled by expression, emotion, and song kept the story moving forward. Their relationship on stage gave audiences something to coo over and hope for.
The narrator of the tale, Willy, played by Kevin Harry was the one bearing gifts. Harry kept the audience in the know in terms of space, time, and feeling. But there was more than just mere information being given away. Willy was the one who fluttered his fingers and made little bits of magic appear, small moments of change, or just a happy shift in the weather. Along with Willy, there was the necessary moments and characters that held comic relief. Rob Lawhon played Soapy, the happy bum who wanted life to be no other way. He made being homeless sound overly appealing and added to the fun, and lack of realism, that many of the characters projected. Again, it was an escapist show, a musical to add a grin and not a challenge to your psyche. Kayce Grogan-Wallace as City Her and Jeff McKerley as City Him zipped from role to role and filled in the spaces of the city as bustling passersby, waiters, policeman, and even fellow street hustlers. They made the play complete and well rounded. They created the world that our lovers lived in.
The Gifts of the Magi is the perfect show to take the family to on a chilly afternoon when you are feeling festive. This joyous musical is running until Dec. 22 at Theatrical Outfit.
