THEATER REVIEWS : ‘O. Henry’ a Charming Holiday Tradition

‘Tis the season of joy, goodwill and unabashed sentimentality. “An O. Henry Christmas,” back for its third Christmas at Cal Rep, deserves to become a long-standing holiday tradition. This charming period piece gives you that welcome, warm seasonal frisson, right down to the tips of your pleasurably contracting toes.

Adapter Howard Burman’s simple yet effective device allows the recapitulation of some of O. Henry’s most beloved stories. In turn-of-the-century New York, a group of homeless men and women finds refuge under a railroad bridge on a cold, bleak Christmas Eve. A charming stranger arrives on the scene, involving the others in playacting his poignant little tales, reawakening a sense of hope and wonder in these battered specimens of humanity.

Joanne Gordon reprises her fine direction. Lisa Hashimoto’s splendidly detailed set provides an evocative environment for the excellent ensemble cast.

* “An O. Henry Christmas,” Cal Rep Theatre, California State University Long Beach, corner of 7th and West Campus Drive. Mondays-Wednesdays, 6 p.m.; Thursdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Ends Dec . 16. $15. (310) 985-7000 or (310) 985-5526. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.