Rediscover the magic of believing that wishes can come true and miracles still happen in Meredith Willson’s musical production of one of the best loved of all holiday classic tales, Miracle On 34th Street at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

This heartwarming story by Valentine Davies, originally written for the 1940′s movie of the same name, is brilliantly brought to life in a fully staged musical production. The story follows the adventures of an elderly gentleman named Kris Kringle who must leave his cozy existence at the Maplewood Retirement Home because Maplewood only keeps elderly people as long as they are in good physical and mental health. There is this matter, you see, of Kris continuing to claim that he is Santa Claus, which calls his sanity into question.

Kris has two choices: either he can go to the Mount Hope Sanitarium (the “nut house,” Kris calls it) or he can try to fend for himself on the streets. Kris chooses to make his own way and leaves the Maplewood Retirement Home early on Thanksgiving Day. He ends up in Manhattan and happens to arrive during the last minute preparations for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where he discovers the person hired to play Santa Claus has been drinking. Kris is horrified for the children who will be watching the parade and complains to the parade organizer, Doris Walker, about this intoxicated fraud. Doris fires the Santa she has hired on the spot and offers the job to Kris, who reluctantly agrees–and this is where the adventure begins.

From that point on, Kris alters the lives of those he encounters, especially Susan, Doris’s daughter who has been raised by Doris to be a realistic, practical and pragmatic girl, certainly too sensible to believe in Santa Claus. During the story, this friendly old gentleman comes in contact with many characters: Fred, an attorney and Doris’s love-struck neighbor; Alfred, a young janitor and volunteer Santa at Macy’s; Mr. Sawyer, the loony store psychologist who tests Kris’s sanity; and Mr. Macy who becomes a great promoter of Kris. Needless to say, these characters (and many others) find that their lives are changed forever after meeting Kris Kringle.

Featuring an imaginative set, stylish costumes of the period, superb choreography and the wonderful sound of Meredith Willson’s fabulous lyrics and score including “It’s Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas” and “May the Good Lord Bless & Keep You,” this holiday family plum of a show is sure to leave every audience believing in love and miracles once again. Willson was the creative genius behind “The Music Man” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

Miracle On 34th Street is produced by Troupe America Inc., now in its 25th year of touring musicals and comedies in every State and Province in Canada. It is directed by John Tsafoyannis with musical direction by Dennis Curley and choreography by Michael Mathew Farrell.

Tickets are $52 gold circle, $47 house and $20 student ticket — seniors 55+ and military save $5 on regular ticket prices. Purchase tickets in person at the Macomb Center box office Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Friday 12 – 6 p.m. The Macomb Center for the Performing Arts is located on Macomb Community College’s Center Campus at 44575 Garfield Road in Clinton Township, Michigan 48038. Tickets and additional information, including a complete season schedule, are available online at www.MacombCenter.com or by calling 586.286.2222.

Miracle On 34th Street is sponsored in part by Plante Moran and Buddy’s Pizza, and the Macomb Center’s premiere sponsors for the 2012 -2013 season The Real Yellow Pages and The Macomb Daily.

The Macomb Center for the Performing Arts is a community enrichment program of Macomb Community College dedicated to providing a diverse range of family-oriented cultural enrichment experiences. The Macomb Center presents high-quality professional performances, offers educational outreach in the arts and, in partnership with the adjacent Albert L. Lorenzo Cultural Center, creates unique opportunities for multifaceted cultural programming.

 About Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu) is one of the nation’s leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 50,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college’s comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.