A Christmas story about a Jewish family—sounds counterintuitive, right? Well, aside from the fact that every Christmas story is about a Jewish family (Christians couldn't exactly exist before the existence of Christ), "A Coney Island Christmas," the new play by Donald Marguiles, playing at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood through December 30, manages to tell the story of a Jewish family during the Christmas season quite nicely.

"A Coney Island Christmas" follows the 1935 antics of the Abramowitz family, a Jewish family living in, you guessed it, Coney Island. Shirley (Isabella Acres), the twelve year old daughter, possesses a very loud voice, which prompts her drama (John Sloan) and music (Lily Holleman) teachers to cast her as Jesus in the school's Christmas pageant. Shirley's mother (Annabelle Gurwitch) is convinced that this will cause her daughter to lose her sense of identity, while Shirley's father (Arye Gross) wants to let his daughter be in the play.

The story is rather simplistic, and rarely subtle. However, it doesn't seem to be aspiring to be high art—it is a family show about Christmas, not some avant-garde New York transfer about a gloomy subject. Like most Christmas stories, no issues are deep or intensely layered, and most everything has a sprinkling of holiday joy.

"A Coney Island Christmas" certainly has some joyful moments. The very strong supporting cast who play Shirley's classmates put on two of the most amusing school pageants in the history of children's plays. There's a sense of relief for the audience in being able to laugh freely at the childish antics on stage without fear of hurting anyone's feelings, and director Bart Lorenzo (who also directed the wonderful production of Cymbeline at A Noise Within this fall) and his cast have done a remarkable job of recreating every excruciating yet hilarious moment of children's drama.

Takeshi Kata's scenic design is particularly enchanting, bringing the world of Coney Island in 1935 to life quite convincingly. Ann Closs-Farley's costumes also contribute nicely to the play.

While it's not a masterpiece, "A Coney Island Christmas" is a diverting and fun night at the theater for the whole family.

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"A Coney Island Christmas" is playing at the Geffen Theatre (10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024) through December 30, 2012. Tickets are $45-$75. More information can be found at GeffenPlayhouse.com.