‘An O. Henry’ Cast Works Miracles

Dickens doesn’t have the corner on stories about spiritual rebirth or the gift of giving. William Sydney Porter, known as O. Henry (1862-1910), was also partial to such themes.

Several of his tales are woven together with colorful threads from his own life in “An O. Henry Christmas,” a California Repertory Company tradition, now at the Edison Theatre in Long Beach.

In Howard Burman’s adaptation, miracles are set in motion when a mysterious stranger (Patric Taylor) appears in a homeless encampment on a bitter Christmas Eve in turn-of-the-century New York. He carries a notebook of stories he has written, and soon the chilly night--shiveringly evoked in Mark Abel’s lighting design by cold, blue-white moonlight shining through bare branches--is warmed by tales that pay off in surprising and touching ways.

One of the most poignant moments in Joanne Gordon’s staging comes in “The Gift of the Magi,” when love wrestles with loss in the eyes of a penniless young couple (Dawn Kristen Flood and Peter Uribe) who have . . . well, you know the story.

Rounding out the compelling ensemble are Julie Dixon, Diana Elizabeth Jordan, Christopher McCool, Jeff McGrath and Mark Staley.

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* “An O. Henry Christmas,” Edison Theatre, 213 E. Broadway, Long Beach. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 7 p.m.; Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 19. $20. (562) 432-1818 or (562) 985-7000. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.