Review: GIFT OF THE MAGI at the Summit Theatre Group

The Gifts of the Magi opened Thursday night at the dinner gala for the Summit Theatre Group at the Emaline Ballroom in Lees Summit, Mo. The price of a ticket included a dinner buffet served by Outback Steakhouse, in which the server limited patrons to portions because he did not know if he brought enough meats. Immediately following the meal the audience received an unfortunate serving of The Gift of the Magi.

The Gift of the Magi written by Mark St. Germain with music by Randy Courts, lyrics by Randy Courts and Mark St. Germain opened off-Broadway at the Lamb's Theatre in 1984. Regularly performed in schools the musical features elements of O. Henry's story The Cop and the Anthem as a sub plot.

The Gift of the Magi is the tale of the Dillingham's, a couple with little money who desperately want to give a Christmas gift to each other. The story is a moral lesson on gift giving in its truest form. To sacrifice one's greatest treasure for the one you love.

Directed by Kristen Janell Sullivan the true gift of the Magi would have been to cancel the production or at least add considerable more rehearsals. Many of the actors stumbled on their lines and delivered them as if reading from the script itself. The sound system (microphones hanging from the rafters) was poorly configured, with lyrics and dialogue lost to the over-powering piano.

Ginger Birch as Della Dillingham and Jared Hill as The City Him, both gave wonderful performances, with great vocals and energy given to their characters. Unfortunately, their performances cannot carry the rest of the production. Laney Zornes as Willy Porter tried hard to give a great performance and did when delivering her spoken lines. Regrettably, the sixth grader fell short in the vocals and needed to display more enthusiasm in her delivery.

The dinner shows continue on Friday December 5 and Saturday December 6 at 6 p.m. and a special matinee at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Purchase tickets on the Summit Theatre website. Photo courtesy of Summit Theatre Group.