MLC’s High School Drama Department presents special Christmas story onstage, ‘The Gift of the Magi’
The Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) 7-12 Drama Class presented “The Gift of the Magi,” a short play based on O. Henry’s (the pen name for William Sydney Porter) story, a timeless tale of love and generosity set in turn of the 20th century New England, in a pair of performances in the MLC music room on Friday evening, December 19 and Saturday afternoon, December 20.
The cast for the play includes:
* Melanie Adrian – Della Dillingham Young.
* Caitlyn Smith – Dot, Della’s sister.
* Paige Riihl – Donna Marie – Della and Dot’s sister – as well as Caroler.
* Josh Raabe – James “Jim” Dillingham Young.
* James Hamm – Digsby.
* Bryce Adrian – Art.
* Melissa Lohrenz – Madame Vodskaya.
* Danica Dick – Watch Clerk.
* Pedro Maureira – Boot Clerk.
* Summer Janzen – Clarice.
*Elijah Stoesz, Chloe Klassen, Mikkala Pearson and Katey Fast as Carolers.
* Emily Schroeder – Woman with an umbrella.
Serving on crew and support are:
* Aaron Petersen – Director.
* Burton Stoesz – Set Construction.
*Mellissa Klassen, Nikki Petersen and Vonda Sellers – Set Design.
* Katie Dick and Nikki Petersen – Costumes.
* Janell Bargen – Photographs.
* Trenton Klassen and Ricardo Renteria – Sound.
* Rachel Knutson – Lighting.
* Ardith Simon and DeeAnn Stoesz – Tickets and Promotion.
* Kim Friesen – Refreshments.
* Alliance Church, Carpenter’s Cupboard and Ron Nickel – Other Play Contributors.
The plot is about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other – with very little money.
The young woman, Della Dillingham Young, sells her long beautiful hair to a wig maker to buy her husband, James “Jim” Dillingham Young, a fob chain for his prized watch, only to discover that he has sold his watch to buy a set of tortoiseshell combs for her now-gone hair.
The story ends in a homily that shares, in a personal and poignant way, about the wise magi, who invented the act of giving Christmas presents, suggesting that the two “foolish children” of this “uneventful chronicle” who unwisely sacrificed for each other the “greatest treasures of their homes” are indeed the wisest of all, for “they are the magi.”
Following is a photo gallery from the thespians’ performance:
THE CAST OF MLC’s Christmas presentation, a rendition of O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” Front, from left, Melissa Lohrenz (Madame Vodskaya), Paige Riihl (Donna Marie and Caroler), Katey Fast (Caroler), Elijah Stoesz (Caroler), Chloe Klassen (Caroler), Mikkala Pearson (Caroler) and Emily Schroeder (Woman with Umbrella). Back, from left, Pedro Maureira (Boot Clerk), Danica Dick (Watch Clerk), Summer Janzen (Clarice), Melanie Adrian (Della Dillingham Young), Josh Raabe (James “Jim” Dillingham Young), Caitlyn Smith (Dot), James Hamm (Digsby) and Bryce Adrian (Art).
THE DELLINGHAM YOUNGS – Della (Melanie Adrian), left and Jim (Josh Raabe), right, are a young newly-married couple living in an $8-a-week flat in New York City – with very little money between them. Above, Della helps take off Jim’s cold winter rain-soaked shoes after he arrives home from work.
DELLA (MELANIE ADRIAN), left, discovers that Jim (Josh Raabe), right, has stuffed his shoes with the daily newspaper in hopes that the newsprint helps his feet stay dry – and, of course, the news can be read later in the evening after the paper dries.
DOT (CAITLYN SMITH), left and her sister, Della (Melanie Adrian), right, share a laugh as they reminisce about former boyfriends. Dot and her husband have done well for themselves, but, when she offers Della money for Christmas presents, Della refuses, wanting to earn the coins for the gifts herself.
DELLA (MELANIE ADRIAN), left, is more-than-willing to share the meager coins she has saved to purchase a Christmas gift for her husband with her friend, Clarice (Summer Janzen), right, whose husband has just lost his job and tough times have come upon the family.
THE THREE ACCOUNTING clerks on their way home from work. From left, Digsby (James Hamm), Jim Dillingham Young (Josh Raabe), center and Art (Bryce Adrian), right.
THE CLERKS DECIDE to go out on the gloomy rainy evening to get a bite to eat – however, Jim (Josh Raabe), refuses as he does not want to spend the money he has saved for Della’s present. Digsby (James Hamm), however, will not take Jim’s “No” as an answer and hoists Jim over his right shoulder and takes him away to the restaurant by completing the firefighters’ carry.
AFTER JIM (JOSH Raabe), left, frets over spending a chunk of his money – and on a terrible meal, no less – he meets a young woman carrying an umbrella in the rain (Emily Schroeder). She offers the umbrella to Jim, he refuses, noting that he already feels low so that getting even more wet cannot drag him down any further.
DELLA (MELANIE ADRIAN), left and Jim (Josh Raabe), right, admire Jim’s gold pocket watch, a gift from his grandfather – and one that gets wet because he carries it in his coat pocket as he has no watch fob to attach to his vest in order to carry the timepiece in a more protective place.
DELLA (MELANIE ADRIAN) recounts the money she has scrimped to save and stuffed in the special money jar – and comes up with only one dollar and eighty-seven cents with which to buy her husband’s Christmas present.
DELLA (MELANIE ADRIAN), right, heads to the shops in search of a suitable gift for Jim, and ends up at Mr. Robert’s Fine Boots and Gently-Used Footwear, where she encounters the Boot Clerk (Pedro Maureira), left, who tries to sell him some Pedro Brand Boots – boots that would help keep Jim’s feet dry on his walks home for work in the rain.
DELLA (MELANIE ADRIAN) also visits Butterfield’s Fine Watches, where she finds the perfect platinum watch fob. But – it is way out of her price range. The Watch Clerk (Danica Dick), encourages Della to put her long red tresses to good use by selling them to a hairdresser and wig-maker. The clerk gives Della the hairdresser’s card – and Della decides to head to the shop.
MADAME VODSKAYA (Melissa Lohrenz), right, examines Della’s (Melanie Adrian), left, hair – and then whisks her away to a back room for a super-sized snip.
AFTER COLLECTING HER money from the hairdresser, Della (Melanie Adrian), left, returns to the watch store to buy the fob. Although short of money, the Watch Clerk (Danica Dick), right, has the spirit of Christmas in her heart and sells the chain to Della at a reduced price – coincidentally, exactly the money has in her money jar. Della is appreciative of the kindness, which surprises the clerk.
RETURNING TO THE flat, Della (Melanie Adrian) looks at her reflection in a hand mirror – and is aghast at the closely-cropped locks.
IN THE TWIST ending, Jim presents his wife with tortoise-shell bejeweled hair combs – for hair that is no longer there.
THE TWISTS CONTINUE as Jim (Josh Raabe), unwraps Della’s gift to him – a platinum watch fob – for a gold pocket watch he sold in order to have enough funds to buy his gift for his wife.
SINCE NEITHER ONE can make use of the presents, Jim suggests they put them away in a safe place – until they can be put to “work.” Like the Magi, those wise men who invented the tradition of Christmas giving, both Della (Melanie Adrian), right and Jim (Josh Raabe), left, have unwisely sacrificed the greatest treasures of their house for each other. However, of all those who give gifts, these two are inevitably the wisest.
THE CAROLERS WHO multi-tasked throughout the show – singing Christmas carols as they made set changes. From left, Katey Fast, Paige Riihl, Mikkala Pearson, Chloe Klassen and Elijah Stoesz – on the pitch pipe to make certain the quintet was in tune.
ACTING GOOFY AT a photo op just prior to dress rehearsal – and just a couple of hours before the opening curtain.
The Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) 7-12 Drama Class presented “The Gift of the Magi,” a short play based on O. Henry’s (the pen name for William Sydney Porter) story, a timeless tale of love and generosity set in turn of the 20th century New England, in a pair of performances in the MLC music room on Friday evening, December 19 and Saturday afternoon, December 20.
* Josh Raabe – James “Jim” Dillingham Young.
