*Note: As per the performance eligibility requirements laid out here, this production is not up for HRACT Award consideration.*

A fun newspaper-style Playbill was handed to us by a tiny elf as we entered Smithfield Little Theatre on Saturday night to see their holiday production of “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”.  As I looked around the theatre just before showtime, I had to wonder – when was the last time so many people were reading a physical newspaper all in one place?  Is this what it was like to be in a train station or something back in the late 1800s?  I, for some reason, felt touched by the stolen nostalgia of the moment (it’s not my nostalgia – after all, I’m a ‘90s kid).

Based on the famous op-ed that ran in the New York Sun back in 1897, this show builds out some (fictional) lore for how exactly that column came to be, giving us a window both into Virginia O’Hanlon and Francis Church’s lives (the girl who wrote the editor asking if Santa was real and the writer who responded, respectively).  Keeping in mind that this is an imagined version of events, the play adds plot elements to give the story some extra urgency.  Virginia (played by the precocious Meredith Butts the night we attended, and by Millie Beckner on other evenings) has a friend, Mary-Lou Parker, who has lost faith in Santa as her mom is out of work and her sister is ill.  We saw Caylee Wood in the role of Mary-Lou (also played by Abby Deemer on other days), and her chemistry with Meredith Butts was strong, as they gave off the vibes of being good friends, and at times, the two of them were left to drive the show forward (a trick nicely pulled off by these two fifth graders).  Mary-Lou’s out of work mom, Hannah, was played well by Gabrielle Armstrong, and her sick sister Wendy was played by Lenora Brown (Esmé Beckner at other performances), who came across as appropriately ill (coughing may have been a key part of that audition), but luckily did not seem to be in too dire of straits to be unrecoverable (which can be a tough line to toe on stage – imagine a director’s note saying – seem sick… but not tooooo sick – and consider how you might tackle that as an elementary/middle schooler).

Meanwhile, Francis Church (the writer) is re-imagined as a twenty-year-old up-and-comer who has a terrible six-month long case of writer’s block.  His cigar-laden boss Walter is (if you ask me, somewhat understandably) running low on patience for the young associate, although he perhaps expresses that lack of patience a bit more harshly than he should (a well-executed role by local theater stalwart Warren Johnson).  Francis is played by Zephyniah Havens, who does a nice job, especially in his scenes with the younger cast members, of letting them shine, while knowing when it is his time to command the moment as well. 

At least Virginia’s home-life seems to be stable, with her parents, played by Gregg Alexander and Heather Guilford, providing a lot of loving support, if not satisfying with their answers to her queries regarding the big man in the red suit.  Those parents have provided a very nice house, andI would be remiss if I didn’t give credit here to set designer Jeff Corriveau and his set building team of Robert Cox, Steve Kellberg, John Post, Stephanie Kensicki and Mike Hildreth.  The folks out at SLT really have a knack for creating a home space that feels lived in (think the impressive “Exit Laughing” set, but on a smaller scale – this house only takes up about a third of the stage – and an earlier time period).  And Virginia’s sister Samantha, played at our performance by Grace Talbert (and by Hadley Etherton at other showings), is constantly razzing Virginia as only a sibling can, which also makes you feel right at home in this space.

If you have seen enough versions of traditional Christmas pageants, and are looking for a sweet Christmas story with a solid mix of children and adults and strong production value, this is a nice alternative for a way to spend a cold winter’s night.  And it really touches your heart when the cast stands together at the end, reciting the words of the eponymous op-ed directly to the audience (a well put together moment by mother-son directing team Judy and John Post).  Being a Virginian, it feels as if they are talking directly to you, reminding us all of the magic of Santa in this world.  Hope everyone has a happy holiday season, and we will be back with more reviews in the New Year!