W-b Taking Health Survey

Agnes Kaiser 
December 16, 1997 
Agnes R. Kaiser, 85, Of Exeter Avenue, Exeter, Died Tuesday At The Highland 
Manor Nursing Home, Exeter.

By BOB NOCEK; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, December 18, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 10C 





WILKES-BARRE- The miracle that happened on the F.M. Kirby Center stage
Tuesday night had very little to do with Kris Kringle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No, the magic of "Miracle on 34th Street" was that despite some dreadful
lyrics and painful overacting, the show was so enthusiastic, it was likable. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To despise a piece so eagerly pleasant, even with its many faults, would be
like throwing snowballs at Santa Claus. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even Scrooge might find something appealing in this world-premiere musical
derived from the 1947 film, in which a department store Santa Claus- whose
real name is Kris Kringle- finds himself on trial to prove that he is, in
fact, the real St. Nicholas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of course, Scrooge would have to forgive Buffy Sedlachek and Kevin Rotty
for their silly lyrics, which rhyme so compulsively that it matches
"vernacular" and "spectacular." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Rotty has created some sufficient, if unmemorable, music. And
Sedlachek's book moves the story along efficiently. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 David R. Veitch is an evil psychiatrist whose Ph.D. must be from Villain
University, and Tom Bengston rolls every suck-up, two-faced boss into one
noisy package. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sure, it frequently plays like a children's show, with characters swiped
straight from Saturday morning television. It's sometimes annoying, sometimes
endearing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The show's kiddie tendencies aren't helped by Nanya Ramey's conspicuously
colorful set. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Steve Grimm, a former New Christy Minstrel, keeps "Miracle on 34th
Street" interesting with his down-to-earth Kris Kringle . &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The singing- not the songs- is one of the real treats of "Miracle,"
particularly from Grim and 10-year-old Sabrina Crews, who you half-expect to
belt "The sun'll come out ... tomorrow" at any moment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crews plays Susan, the girl who converts from cynic to Santa-lover, and
there are moments when she's the best actor on the stage, particularly when
left alone with Mike Shreeman, who portrays Fred Gayley, a friend of Susan's
mother. He can sing, but that's where it ends. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Janet Hanson as Susan's mother, Doris Walker, has just the opposite
problem. She can act capably, but makes a mess of the song "Steady Gal" in one
of the lesser moments in "Miracle." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Casey Stangl's direction is playful enough to overcome these faults,
and no matter how many times it begs for a "Bah, Humbug," you just can't hate
this production. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Seems the real miracle wasn't on 34th Street after all. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Review: Stage &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`miracle On 34th Street' Likable Despite Big Flaws