The Gifts of the Magi at The Arts at Angeloria’s

PRESS RELEASE: The Gifts of the MagiPresented by The Arts at AngeloriasNovember 19- December 5, 2021 What makes a Christmas gift special? If you think it is how much you paid for it, then you have missed the point of almost every Christmas song, play, movie, musical, and story ever written. But if not price, then what is it? The Gifts of the Magi written by Mark St. Germain and Randy Courts, and directed by Sara Fabrizio with music direction by Ed Rosenblatt will remind you of what Christmas is really about.Adapted from two short stories written by OHenry in 1905, The Gifts of the Magi is a lovely holiday musical set in 1900s New York City. With its nostalgia, romanticism, and New York City-ism, it has all the trappings of a traditional Christmas musical. Its a brisk and entertaining story for the whole family. The Gifts of the Magi follows Della and Jim Dillingham (Kaity Marzik and Charles Clark) who are straining to hold on to their dream of making it in New York but prospects are bleak- they are penniless and out of work. Both are struggling to find the other a perfect Christmas gift. Ultimately each parts with their most prized possession in order to buy a present for the other thereby creating, at least for a magical moment, an aura of warmth and giving in the cold, impersonal winter city. Folded into OHenrys famous story, The Gift of the Magi is his story of Soapy Smith (Jason Michael) as told in The Cop and the Anthem. Mr. Smith is a happy-go-lucky homeless man who sets out to commit countless petty crimes in an attempt to get arrested so that he can take advantage of the food and shelter in jail. In addition to the stories of Jim, Della, and Soapy, there are glimpses of various city folk played by Joe Berthiaume, Samantha Gamez, Kuhlken Gorman, and Kassiani Kontothanasis going about their holiday business. Featuring the accompaniment of Bill DAndrea, the production is gracefully enhanced by intricate songs and neatly tied together by an omnipresent newsboy-narrator, Willy Porter (Joey Abate), who adds his own melodious contribution and informative observations to the proceedings. With choreography by Amelia Nemeth, youll find yourself completely immersed in the madness that is New York City during Christmas time at the turn of the 20th century.This production will occur in the Black Box theatre (recently equipped with a deluxe exhaust system for a continuous supply of fresh air) located in The Arts at Angelorias main house. Guests are sure to enjoy the extensive collection of vintage holiday decorations and Christmas trees found in each room of this 1908 Sears Roebuck kit house. Costumed house managers and ushers will enhance the immersive experience as will the complementary holiday sweets samples.ADULTS: Proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within the past 48 hours is required to attend this event. Minors ineligible to receive vaccines will be allowed to attend only if they properly wear a mask or face covering during their entire visit and are accompanied by an adult that complies with the above stated policies.AGAIN, VACCINATION CARDS OR PCR TEST RESULTS AS WELL AS UNIVERSAL MASKING, PROPERLY WORN, IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS EVENT!

Authors

• Mark St. Germain
• Randy Courts