Anna Haught of Upper Arlington is one of the young actresses who will bring the story of "Madeline's Christmas" to life. The play will be presented by the Phoenix Theatre for Children Dec. 4-13 in Studio Two of the Riffe Center, 77 S. High St.

"Madeline's Christmas" is based on one of the books in the popular children's series created by Ludwig Bemelmans. In Phoenix Theatre for Children's musical stage adaptation, it's up to Madeline to find a way to save the day when her classmates come down with the flu while preparing to go home for the holidays.

Taryn Huffman, 8, of Olentangy plays the lead role in "Madeline's Christmas," while Haught plays one of Madeline's classmates at an all-girls boarding school in Paris.

Before she was cast in the show, Haught, 9, said she was a fan of the "Madeline" books.

"I have all of them," Haught said. "We didn't have 'Madeline's Christmas,' but we got it from the library."

Haught previously starred in productions of children's plays around central Ohio such as "It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Haught said she enjoys being onstage.

"I think it's fun," she said. "You just play a character and you're not yourself. You're someone else."

Haught said she also enjoys performing the musical numbers in "Madeline's Christmas" with her castmates.

"It's fun to sing out and just give it all of your feeling," she said.

The music in "Madeline's Christmas" enhances the story, said Phoenix Theatre artistic director Steven Anderson, who is directing the show.

"There's nothing better than 12 little girls singing in unison, singing in harmony," Anderson said. "It's what we all want this time of year."

The "Madeline" stories, first introduced in 1939, have endured in popularity from generation to generation.

"They have such charm and there's a spirit about Madeline that we all want to have," Anderson said, "which is that we can fix anything, do anything, be anything, be courageous, be helpful. I think that's where the connection comes. I think it takes us to a different place."

For tickets and more information about "Madeline's Christmas," call CAPA at (614) 469-0939 or visit Phoenix4kids.org.

cbournea@thisweeknews.com