In O. Henry’s 1905 short story “The Gift of the Magi,” a young husband secretly sells his pocket watch to buy his wife a comb and she secretly sells her hair to buy him a watch chain.
The worst Secret Santa ever? Or a testament to the generosity inherent in sacrifice? O. Henry saw it as the latter, seeing an echo of the Biblical Magi in the couple’s willingness to give up their most valuable possessions to show their love.
In “The Magi,” Helen R. Murray’s 21st-century update with music and lyrics by Eli Pafumi, the young couple have been touring together for years in a band called, not incidentally, The Magi. What will they sacrifice for love?
“That you will have to see,” says Anthony Gervais, who’s directing the musical for American Stage. “You learn about their relationship, the things they give up for each other emotionally on a daily basis.”
But he allows, “there is a satisfying answer,” one that captures the same spirit as the O. Henry. “It’s a very emotional holiday show that asks some big questions, and the ending is very hopeful.”
The cast and production of ‘The Magi’ at American Stage
Tristan Braboy plays Nix, who wants to settle down. Morgan Tapp plays Jude, who craves the open road. Audiences have already seen both performers in American Stage shows, including “Ring of Fire” and “Hundred Days,” in which Sapp played a fiery fiddle.
Like “Days,” the production has a rock-concert vibe, but quieter—just a violin and a guitar and the two singers.
“There are monologues to the audience when the other character can’t hear them,” says Gervais. “Aside from that, the show is more like an intimate concert that goes off the rails.”
“The Magi” will offer patrons a chance to really lean into the intimacy. VIP tickets allow audience members to sit at one of five tables on stage, complete with table-side service.
“You’ll really feel like you’re at a cabaret club,” says Gervais.
There’ll be general admission seats for the rest of the house, with the hope that folks will fill rows near the stage.
“We want to bring everyone as close as we can.”
If you go see ‘The Magi’ at American Stage
The Magi
Time Wednesdays-Sundays. Continues through Dec. 21
Location American Stage Theatre Company, 163 3rd St N., St. Petersburg
This article appears in Nov. 27 – Dec. 03, 2025.