hayet

A comedic stage play by Steven Hayet.

For Maya Kaplan, Christmas is her life...and she hates every minute of it.

As acting manager of the year-round Christmas store Yuletide Cheer, a job she reluctantly inherited after the owner (her mom) retired, Maya is force-fed jolly, subjected to hearing the same holiday songs on loop day after day after day. As a Jewish woman, she never fully understood the Christmas obsession, especially one that requires a 365-day store for a one day holiday (or twelve days if you go by the song.) She had dreams of her own, but as the single childless sibling, the responsibilities of the family business fell to her. Motherly guilt is a powerful force. Fortunately, Maya’s nightmare will be coming to an end in a few months as the store will finally shutter its doors to become a Starbucks. Or will it?

Enter Hugo McGee, a longtime customer devastated to learn of the store’s closing. Raised by a single mom, the store holds a special place in his heart. Refusing to allow a local intuition to disappear, Hugo makes it his mission to raise the money and keep Yuletide Cheer open, despite Maya’s objections. Will he succeed in saving Christmas? Or will Maya finally have the opportunity to live the life she’s wanted? Or maybe...the two aren’t so different?

Hugo Saves Christmas...in May! is a heartfelt comedy about two people from different backgrounds, coming together and connecting through family, nostalgia, and the idea of Christmas.