Bill Peiffer, Robert Wamer, and Steve Marriott in Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa ClausThe kids cast in the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus are the best parts of the production, with Lena Slininger's Virginia and the rest of the children lending the proceedings a bright innocence - even when some youths are bullying Virginia about her worn-out shoes - that provides a welcome warmth to the holiday tale. Unfortunately, the kids aren't of central importance in this play that includes one of their names in the title.

I want to start by saying that I enjoyed the tone of the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's presentation of Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. I left Saturday's performance with a warm feeling of Christmas cheer, which seems to me the point of the play, so... Christmas mission accomplished! Yet while there are some notable performances in the piece, it pains me to say that I also have a lot of minor issues with this Showboat production, and particularly with playwright Jamie Gorski's script.