Show Time: New Holiday Musical Will Warm Spirits in the Third Ward

A Gift of the Magi. Image courtesy of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. Searching for a bit of wintertime cheer? Or perhaps a lesson of love? Milwaukee Chamber Theatre has you covered this holiday season. For the first time, on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m., the popular Historic Third Ward theater company is set to premiere A Gift of the Magi, an original Christmas musical by James DeVita and Josh Schmidt, based on the 1905 short story by O. Henry. Set in bustling New York at the turn of the 20th century, A Gift of the Magi follows Della and Jim, impoverished newlyweds dedicated to finding the perfect Christmas gift for one another. The musical includes 25 original songs, composed by Schmidt, a UW-Milwaukee alum who received a Tony Award nomination in 2026 for best sound design of a play. Dimonte Henning, a Milwaukee-based actor, producer, director and educator, landed the lead role of Jim. In a conversation with Urban Milwaukee, he said the show is a good reminder of what s truly important: love. Lov