The successful, yet solitary middle-aged bachelor, John Dale, has a request for Anne Weston, owner of the local rent shop: he would like a Christmas, please — wife and children included. Say, what? Er, we don't ‘do Christmases', says Anne, who is, like the audience, more than a little perplexed by this odd demand.
But egged on by her endearingly impish employee Jimmy (played wonderfully by Prince Andrew Abraham) and the prospect of a villainous creditor threatening to take over her shop, Anne decides to accept Mr. Dale's peculiar challenge. Employing the services of the actor's guild, she attempts to give Mr. Dale a Christmas complete with a tree, presents, cake and… a family. However, in a series of unfortunate events — or a twinkling twist of Christmas magic — Anne finds herself playing the lead role of Mr. Dale's wife, and the orphaned Jimmy, one of their children… need I tell you how the tale unfolds?
Presented by Chennai-based social service group Mellow Circle, the dramatic musical ‘The Rented Christmas' is the twelfth play in their annual Christmas productions that are held to raise money for Prathyasha — a home run by the organisation to care for children with HIV.
Directed by Becky Thomas, with musical direction by Augustine Paul, the musical ushered in the festive season with a cheerful and humorous tale on the importance of love, family and the Christmas spirit. With powerful singing by Pallavi Raj as Anne Thomas and Yohan Chacko as John Dale, adorable children running across the stage, a superb Butler played by Thomas Philip, and a merry choir, the cast delighted the audience at the Museum Theatre by putting on a funny, touching and over-all feel-good performance — with clear evidence of the time, trouble and effort put in to collect funds for a worthy cause perhaps more touching than the sentiment of the play itself.
