Calgary native Hal Kerbes, making his Persephone debut in the role of Kris Kringle, is the lone performer not from Saskatchewan.
Saskatoon’s Persephone theatre is revisiting a decades-old holiday tradition on screen and stage with its version of Miracle on 34th Street. Here are five things to know about the theatre company’s latest production, which runs from Dec. 4 to 22:
1 — Youngsters sharing big role
Charlotte Thomson, a Grade 5 student, and Vinnie May Jones, a fourth grader, are sharing the lead role of Susan Walker.
“I’m very excited,” Thomson said. “I really like being the centre of attention, and as a child with two siblings, you don’t really get that.”
Jones said she was “really nervous at first,” but then she “realized no one’s going to judge, or criticize, so I’m just like, what’s the point of being nervous?”
Thomson has previously been in a children’s chorus. For Jones, it’s her first time acting in a production. They’ll alternate performances playing the character first made famous by Natalie Wood in the 1947 film.
“I think it’s good because that would get very busy and exhausting, doing eight performances (a week),” Thomson said.
Lucas White and Lachlan Wright will do the same performance-splitting for the roles of Mortimer and Tommy.
2 — Kringle performer a veteran of stage
Calgary native Hal Kerbes, making his Persephone debut in the role of Kris Kringle, is the lone performer not from Saskatchewan — but his reputation precedes him.
Kerbes has worked on stage and in the theatre for nearly five decades, with a resume that includes Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Elf, Evita, Into the Woods, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia Story, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music and more.
Kerbes and his wife Kathryn, have been honoured and recognized for their sustained and significant contribution to theatre and musical theatre in Calgary.
With his white beard, he also bears a striking resemblance to Santa — and has often stepped into the red suit around Calgary.
“My favourite part is when Santa is like, ‘Give it a tug!’ and then she tugs his beard,” Thomson said about one of her character’s exchanges with Kerbes’s Kringle.
3 — Persephone’s spin on classic story
The show is Persephone’s version of the beloved Christmas tale. It tells the story of Kris Kringle, the replacement department store Santa at Macy’s, who convinces holiday shoppers that Christmas is about much more than presents. But when Kringle claims to be the real Santa Claus, his sanity is questioned and the spirit of Christmas is at risk.
4 — Huge demand for tickets
The show opened Wednesday and was originally set to run until Dec. 22 on Persephone’s main stage. Due to popular demand, Persephone extended the run with six additional performances from Dec. 26 to 29.
It was adapted by playwrights Caleb Marshall and Erin Keating, from the story by Valentine Davies. Directing the show is Persephone’s artistic director Heather Cant, who most recently has directed Mary Poppins, The Revolutionists, The Fiancee and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
5 — Time and place
Tickets are available at tickets.persephonetheatre.org or through the box office at (306) 384-7727.
Run time for the show is approximately 125 minutes, plus a 20-minute intermission.
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.