Review: Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical (HOME Manchester)

Review by Stephen Stockton

Christmas is my favourite time of year to go to the theatre. The hustle and bustle of the foyer filled with decorations, young families more than likely at the theatre for the first time, and everyone there for the same reason, the joy of a Christmas show. Therefore, a musical adaptation of a classic Christmas film, at one of my favourite Manchester venues, filled me with Christmas spirit. This year’s festive show is Meredith Willson’s Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical, based on the 1947 film of the same name, rather than the much-loved 1994 remake with the late Richard Attenborough.

This production of the musical broadly follows the same plot as the film, with additional script by Director Sara Joyce. It’s Thanksgiving, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is at risk of not having its famous Santa, as theirs has turned up drunk! Luckily, a passerby, who bears a striking resemblance to Santa Claus, is hired at the last minute to be their replacement Santa. Chris Cringle is that replacement, Macy’s is busier than ever, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are saved. Or are they? Chris Cringle finds himself locked up and faces being certified insane for saying he is the real Santa Claus. His fate is in the hands of first-time lawyer Fred Gailey, and Susie, a young girl who has been brought up not to believe in Santa. Will Chris, and Christmas, be saved?

Meredith Willson is best known for Broadway hit The Music Man, and the Christmas song It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, which makes a brief appearance here. Unfortunately, his Miracle on 34th Street isn’t as memorable as either of those, in fact, the score as a whole is pretty forgettable.

While we all like to believe in the miracle of Christmas, this Miracle was just too unbelievable. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was underwhelming, feeling like they’d just been told they had to include the scene and were scrambling around for costumes, one of which was a bee! Joyce’s script additions and directorial choices don’t help this rather flat show either. We jumped back and forth from a toy shop in England being knocked down to build luxury apartments to Macy’s department store in New York, through what was a very flimsy dream/imagination sequence. This proved to be confusing for both the audience and the actors’ accents. Similarly, the famous court room scene, where the US Postal Service brings in the thousands of letters to Santa, was anticlimactic, let down by three of the four ensemble wearing Royal Mail uniforms. It simply didn’t make sense.

The star of the show is Karis, who is one of three actors playing Susie Walker. The moment she sees the huge toy department for the first time reminds us all of what Christmas means to children. The set and light design by Ciarán Bagnall really brings this magical moment to life when a curtain lifts to expose the rows of colourful toys on the shelves, with bright sparkling lights adding to the scene of wonder. Karis works her socks off, being on stage more than any other actor. Her solo finale of the first half was brilliantly sung, but badly staged, and was rewarded by the loudest applause of the night.

Adam Vaughan is a particularly dashing Chris Cringle and proved popular with many in the audience in the audience! Whilst an accomplished west end performer, even he struggled to add any sparkle to the source material. Much needed levity was provided by Stephanie Hockley, playing Shellhammer, the head of the Toy Department of Macy’s. From slapstick comedy to goofy jingles, they played this part brilliantly.

The ensemble is largely made up of young actors, playing multiple parts. Whilst this often works in a panto, having multiple lines of dialogue here often got lost. They’ll be a hit with their families, but it proved too big a risk in an already difficult to follow production. While there are big dance numbers from Choreographer Kevin Turner, they feel like they are crowbarred into the show, rather than adding anything to the story, extending what already felt like a very long, nearly 3 hour show.

While many will enjoy this Yuletide tale simply for the fact it’s a musical and it’s Christmas, I left the theatre feeling this Miracle on 34th Street lacked its miracle.

Meredith Willson’s Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical runs at HOME, Manchester until 31st December.