Humor, faith fuel original show ‘A Gift to Remember’
By Sarika Jagtiani, Staff Writer
First Southern Baptist Church of Dover is switching the script on its Christmas production this year and going with a new original musical, “A Gift to Remember.” The show runs Friday through Sunday, and is free.
A lost woman reconnects with her faith through the kindness of strangers in “A Gift to Remember,” an original production by the First Southern Baptist Church of Dover. The musical runs from Friday through Sunday at the church.
The show centers around Maggie, a young woman just passing through the city on her way to start a new life in the south. While in Dover she gets into an accident on Loockerman Street, where she meets an eccentric and kindhearted older man, Krenshaw. He introduces Maggie to the boisterous Salazar family, who help mend Maggie physically and spiritually.
Jennifer Chagaris plays Maggie, a character she described as wounded.
“You can tell there’s something that has scarred her but we don’t learn what it is,” she said.
Maggie’s secret has left her doubting her faith, and with quite a burden.
Enter the Salazar family and Krenshaw, who remind her that forgiveness is divine.
The show’s creators Everett De Morier and Dave Aubrey wanted to do a musical that had a Christmas message without being preachy – all while being enteratining. They tried this previously with another original production, “Dover: A Christmas Story,” which they’ve staged for the past two years.
They agreed that “Christmas Story” had gone as far as it could, so they started from scratch.
“There was not a script out there I liked. I struggled to not only find a musical that was not cliché but also one that was relevant to the people of this community,” De Morier said. “So we wrote one.”
Compared to last year’s show, “A Gift to Remember” has a similar feel but the elements are heightened. De Morier focused on quick, witty writing, and was thrilled to see his cast respond to what he called the “shotgun dialog.” Meanwhile, Aubrey worked on staging larger, more elaborate musical numbers. And because they’d done “Christmas Story” for two years running, interest in the shows had grown, giving them more casting options.
They also hired a professional voice actor to record the narration that runs between scenes.
De Morier said it’s entertainment with something substantial.
“It’s not just for the eye candy,” he said.
“It’s designed to be funny and still have a message,” said Nick De Morier, Everett’s son. Nick plays Cooper, an auto mechanic who also helps Maggie get back on her feet.
Acting alongside Nick is Kierstin Melnick, who plays Paige Salazar.
According to Melnick, Maggie’s story of forgiveness and redemption is ideal for the Christmas season.
“It’s that you’re never too far gone to come back,” she said.
Sandy Lee and Cathy Osgood play bellringers in the opening number.