Radnor Resident Pens Children's Christmas Play

A Radnor resident has penned a children's Christmas play that will be performed this season at a regional theater.

Act II Playhouse in Ambler is presenting "Murray the Elf and the Case of the Missing Mistletoe" written by Garrett Hill's Bill D'Agostino.

D'Agostino, who earned his Master's in Theater from Villanova University in 2010, told Radnor Patch that he found his calling in a special study of theater for young audiences.

This is the first children's play that will be performed at Act II, where D'Agostino works as Communication and Education Director. Murray the Elf was a small character is last year's play, but D'Agostino took him and wrote an entire play around him.

It stars Will Dennis as Murray, a shopping mall elf who is called up by Mrs. Claus to the North Pole to solve “the case of the missing mistletoe.” But things in Toyland are never what they appear to be. Actor Andy Shaw plays all the other characters in this original story, including Mrs. Claus, Rudy the Reindeer, Chilly the Snowman, and the bewitching Candy Kane.

The show runs Dec. 14 to 23 and is recommended for families with children ages five and older. Every performance includes a pre-show sing-along and a post-show question and answer session with the writer and cast. D'Agostino said the audience helps Murray solve the mystery. "There's something really exciting for young people to solve the case," he said.

"I’m really grateful to [director] Tony [Braithwaite] for giving me this opportunity. I'm thrilled to be getting to do this," D'Agostino said.

Tickets are $8 for kids, $12 for adults, and $10 for Act II subscribers. There are six performances: Friday, Dec. 14 at 11 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 16 at 11 a.m.; Friday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. Additional dates and times may be added for large groups.

Tickets are available by calling the Act II box office at (215) 654-0200, in person at 56 E. Butler Ave. in Ambler, or online. Box office hours are 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.