Inspiration


Meredith Wilson, famous for penning The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, adapted Miracle on 34th Street The Musical from the classic holiday film of the same name, which opened at the Roxy Theatre in New York City on June 4, 1947. The film starred Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O'Hara.

Productions

Miracle on 34th Street The Musical opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on Thursday, October 3, 1963, after two previews. It played for 338 performances and closed on July 25, 1964. At that time, the show was titled Here's Love.

The Broadway production was directed by Stuart Ostrow and choreographed by Michael Kidd. The cast included Laurence Naismith, Janis Paige, Craig Stevens, Lisa Kirk, Fred Gwynne, Kathy Cody, Michael Bennett and Baayork Lee.

Cultural Influence

• An original cast recording of Here's Love was released in 1963.

• Miracle on 34th Street is one of the most beloved holiday movies of the twentieth century. A remake was made in 1994 that starred  Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, J. T. Walsh and Mara Wilson. It was adapted by John Hughes from the original script and directed by Les Mayfield.

• In addition to the films and the musical, there have been radio and television adaptations of Miracle on 34th Street.