New Hampshire Theatre Project presents Miracle on 34th Street as part of new play reading series

PORTSMOUTH- New Hampshire Theatre Project's all-new series of Play Readings For Grown-ups celebrates the holiday season with Miracle on 34th Street, based on the novel by Valentine Davies.  Readings will be on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Each reading will be followed by a short audience talkback.

The movie Miracle on 34th Street was released in 1947 and received three Academy Awards. Following the success of the film, Lux Radio Theatre presented a live radio adaptation featuring many of the film's original actors including Maureen O’Hara, John Payne and Edmund Gwenn. NHTP performers will be reading the original Lux Radio Theatre script, complete with sound effects, period commercials, and actors playing multiple roles.

The reading is directed by Genevieve Aichele, with Bill Humphreys as consulting director. Featured actors are Blair Hundertmark, Todd Hunter, Peter Josephson, David Kaye, Kolby Hume, Kathleen Somssich and Colleen Spear. Technical Director is Jess Gero.

Aichele says, “When I was a little girl, a trip into New York City at Christmastime was the highlight of the season so this particular story is close to my heart. It’s often forgotten amidst the more popular traditional holiday offerings. But as the Yuletide season gets more and more chaotic and over-commercialized, Miracle on 34th Street quietly reminds us that - to quote the Santa Cruz Sentinel - love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards.”

NHTP’s Playreading For Grownups Series is generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings Bank and Kathleen Somssich.