STAGE REVIEW : ‘Magi’ Enhances Sweetness of Lamb’s Evening : Theater: Production of ‘An American Christmas’ proves unfailingly pleasant.

“The Gifts of the Magi,” a musical based on two short stories by O. Henry, is nestled cozily between dinner and dessert during Lamb’s Players Theatre’s “An American Christmas.”

Patrons at historic Granger Music Hall in National City are encouraged to view the piece as a pleasant diversion in an evening of homey festivities. “An American Christmas” begins with hot roasted chestnuts and baked brie in a courtyard of trees with twinkling lights and continues with actors playing a family welcoming the audience into their “home.” The serve food, refill water glasses and sing Christmas carols as the fireplace crackles in the back of the lovely hall, with the delicate painting of angels on the ceiling.

As a one-hour diversion in a four-hour evening, the play serves its purpose. Judged as an independent musical, however, the Lamb’s production suffers from a sugar overload that makes the sumptuous dessert buffet that follows seem redundant.

But when the script faithfully re-creates the O. Henry material that inspired it--particularly when it lifts dialogue from the short stories--it perks up with an eloquence that can, at times, bring mist to the eyes.

Mark St. Germain and Randy Courts, the team that composed “Johnny Pye and the Foolkiller,” a touching San Diego premiere about death at Lamb’s, did the book and lyrics for “The Gifts of the Magi.”

The show interweaves “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Cop and the Anthem.”

“The Gift of the Magi,” an O. Henry masterpiece of concision and depth, tells the tale of Jim (Mike Buckley) and Della (Chrissy Vogele), a young turn-of-the-Century couple in New York too poor to buy each other Christmas presents but determined to do so anyway. They each make sacrifices that can be considered unwise or very wise indeed, depending on one’s perspective.

“The Cop and the Anthem” provides the play’s comic relief with the tale of Soapy Smith (Grandison Phelps), a vagrant who can’t get himself arrested. Soapy commits innumerable infractions because he wants to spend three cold winter months in a warm prison. But no matter what rules he breaks, everyone--to Soapy’s frustration--is too full of Christmas spirit to call the cops.

The main problem is that Courts and St. Germain are not as eloquent as O. Henry. Despite the singing talents of newcomer Vogele--who has an especially lovely voice--and Lamb vets Buckley, Leigh Scarritt and Nathan Peirson (the latter two play nearly everyone else in the show), one waits impatiently for the characters to finish with their song and dance and get back to the story--particularly the story of Della and Jim.

As for Soapy Smith, despite Phelps’ energetic performance, the laughs are undercut by a secondary problem--director Robert Smyth’s eagerness to make his story upbeat. Smyth, who trimmed 20 minutes from the script, even goes so far as to sacrifice O. Henry’s classic twist in the Soapy Smith story for an ending that runs contrary to both the original story and to the St. Germain script, which has been a holiday offering for eight years at the unrelated Lambs Little Theater in New York.

A big mistake.

Still, Lamb’s production values are, as always, quite professional.

Mike Buckley’s set design is nicely unfussy. Two old-fashioned wooden screens on each side of the stage serve the actors between their scenes. A park bench in the middle of the stage suggests the city and a small table at one end evokes Jim’s and Della’s apartment. The lacy, flowing turn-of-the-century costumes by Margaret Neuhoff-Vida and Veronica Murphy complete the nostalgic mood.

This is Lamb’s third annual Christmas dinner with a show. The first two years it produced its delicious, festive dinner around a bare bones version of “A Christmas Carol” at the Great Hall of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown San Diego.

Now at the lavishly decorated Granger Music Hall--a charming facility which does exude the warmth of being in someone’s home--one gets the feeling that Lamb’s is still working out the kinks in its annual celebration. One wishes it would start by trusting its audience to be just a tad more sophisticated.

“THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI”

Adapted from the works of O. Henry by Mark St. Germain. Lyrics by Mark St. Germain. Music by Randy Courts. Director is Robert Smyth. Musical direction by Vanda Eggington. Choreography by Leigh Scarritt. Sets by Mike Buckley. Costumes by Margaret Neuhoff-Vida and Veronica Murphy. Hall decorations by Evelyn Peirson. Lighting by Nathan Peirson. Sound by David Cochran Heath. Stage manager is Melissa Baldwin. With Mike Buckley, Chrissy Vogele, Nathan Peirson, Leigh Scarritt, Grandison Phelps and Jon Stewart. At 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 5 p.m. Sundays, with no performances Dec. 25. Tickets are $39-$47 depending on day of performance, with $10 discounts for youth from 5-12. At Granger Music Hall, 1615 East 4th St., National City, 474-4542.