Texas Repertory Theatre's Miracle on 34th Street
The Texas Rep has put me more in the Christmas spirit with their sweet little play based on the screenplay and novel by Valentine Davies than could a million versions of Scrooge and a thousand Pantos.
Artistic director Craig A. Miller has smartly adapted and updated Miracle to 2009.
Associate artistic director and excellent character actor, Steve Fenley, is endearing, enjoyable, enthralling, and entertaining as Kris Kringle.

Matt Wade, as Fred Gaily, narrates the play with sometimes many more words than need be said, but is delightful as the neighbor to Macy's very own Scrooge, Doris Walker, who is in charge of, among many other things, hiring Macy's Santas for the Christmas season.

Blythe Kirkwood plays Doris with just the right amount of bitterness, brokeness, charm, and sex appeal to capture the heart of her neighbor, Fred, and make her a born again believer in Santa Claus.

Ted Doolittle is deliciously degenerate as Mr. Sawyer (and hilarious as a drunk Santa), Macy's "psychologist" that drives Kris Kringle from Macy's Santaland into the courtroom to try to prove Kringle's insanity.

David Walker gives a very strong performance as Macy's Mr. Shellhammer and in several small but memorable roles.

Sapha Arias is funny as Miss Adams, Doris Walker's dizzy assistant, and intense as District Attorney Marrah, prosecuting Kringle for impersonating Santa Claus.