Miracle actor hits one of his bucket list goals
Calgary actor Gino Savoia’s bucket list just got smaller.
In Morpheus Theatre’s production of Miracle on 34th Street that runs in the Pumphouse Theatre until Dec. 14, Savoia is playing Kris Kringle, a man who claims to be the real Santa Claus and goes to court to prove it.
Savoia, who has been a mainstay of community theatre in Calgary for 50 years, says it’s been one of his dreams to play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, the Jimmy Stewart character in It’s a Wonderful Life and Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street.
“Miracle is my 165th show and, as much as I’ve wanted to be cast in a classic Christmas show, this is the first time it’s happened,” says Savoia, who counts his starring role in a Grade 9 production of Murder in the Nunnery as his first time on stage.
In getting his start, Savoia and some fellow students from Crescent Heights and St. Francis schools talked drama teacher Ian Sinclair into helping create and guide them in The Youth Company.
“There simply was nowhere for teens to do community theatre outside of their schools, so The Youth Company filled that role and it got me involved in community theatre, where I’ve been working ever since.”
Miracle on 34th Street was released as a film starring Maureen O’hara, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood in 1947 and has remained a popular film and story ever since.
“It’s a contrived story, for sure, but one that makes us feel good when we see it. Kris Kringle’s belief in himself is what makes the young girl (Aurora B.C. Donev) and her mother (Susan Rowland) believe once again. The divorce is what made her mother so jaded and what gave her such a negative outlook.
“There is not a negative bone in Kris Kringle’s body and that is what makes him so special. Kris is the embodiment of good will, which is the message of Christmas.
“Kris is the eternal optimist, which is something I try to be. He gives everyone a chance, no matter how negative they are to him. He’s the kind of guy you’d like to have as a friend. I hope people will leave the theatre humming that message.”
Savoia says what he loves about Christmas is “it is the time of year when everybody tries a little harder to be the best person they can be. Even the Grinches and Scrooges tend to have more patience and lighter hearts.”
Morpheus Theatre’s Miracle on 34th Street, under the direction of Andrew G. Cooper, is a massive undertaking. There are 22 people in the cast and most play multiple roles using multiple costumes.
“I am the oldest dude on stage and the oldest character in the play. The youngest is nine years old and we have all ages in between. Everyone is so excited about this show and have come together to make it a great show.”
Director Cooper has set Morpheus Theatre’s Miracle on 34th Street in the 1990s with set designs by Bill Brown and costumes by Rhonda Mottle.