Santa’s life story will unfold at Playhouse

Tom Titus

While you wait for Santa Claus to enrich your children’s lives this

year, did you ever wonder how the legend of Santa Claus got started

in the first place?

One explanation was proffered by an author who’s best known for

creating another legend -- “The Wizard of Oz.”

L. Frank Baum set about more than a century ago to explain that

mystery. And next week, the stage version of Baum’s story -- “The

Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” -- will unfold at the Laguna

Playhouse.

“In 1902, [Baum] imagined how Santa Claus became the legendary

figure we all know and love,” explained Joe Lauderdale, the

playhouse’s Youth Theater director, who’s staging the musical

production. “The tale he wrote introduces readers to a fantasy world

called the Forest of Burzee, inhabited by Immortals.

“When a human child is captured by an evil tribe, Necile, a wood

nymph, rescues him and is given permission to keep the young Claus

and raise him as her own,” Lauderdale adds. “Never before was a

mortal allowed into the land of the Immortals, and the child grows up

among these caretakers of the human world.

Since Claus is not an immortal, the story goes, he becomes curious

about his human origins and is given the opportunity to learn about

their world. “What Claus experiences is a life-changing event,”

according to Lauderdale.

“When he sees how poorly children are treated, how they are

expected to work all the time without any fun and how they have

nothing to play with, Claus discovers his true mission in life -- to

bring joy to children everywhere,” the director declares.

His good works spread worldwide, and the mantle of immortality is

bestowed upon him. It’s a tale full of fairy lore, the classic battle

of good versus evil and a unique explanation of Christmas traditions.

To transform Baum’s prose into children’s theater, Greg Atkins

adapted the story and added lyrics, to which musical director Diane

King Vann supplied the melody. The youth production also will feature

choreography by Ellen Prince and fight direction by Todd Loweth.

“The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” will be presented at 7:30

p.m. Fridays; 2 and 7:30 Saturdays; and 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays through

Dec. 19. Additional information is available by calling the theater

at (949) 497-2787.

The playhouse’s Youth Theater has distinguished itself in the area

of presenting stage productions for children of all ages. Twice the

recipient of national awards from the American Alliance for Theater

and Education, the Youth Theater season attracts over 12,000

theatergoers every year.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.