If you feel compelled to do something during the holiday season that will actually uplift your spirits, Siddhartha: The Bright Path is the show to see. You have fourteen more chances to get there. And it’s so affordable that you could give tickets as gifts.

This is a holiday show, Marsh-style! It’s a joy-filled musical theatre piece recounting Prince Siddhartha’s journey to become the Buddha in Nepal 2,500 years ago, told in tandem with the story of a young present-day Bay Area girl Chandra who questions the materialism all around her. She ends up meeting Buddha under the Bodhi tree on the banks of the Ganges River, where Siddhartha helps her find her own brand of enlightenment. Hey, he’s the Buddha. He can do that!

The show is flavored with top notch East Indian music (Yes! Live musicians), original song and beautifully choreographed kathak (narrative dance with fast footwork dance), some hip-swinging belly dance, Chaiyya Chaiyya (walk in the shadow), and a show-stopping Bollywood hip-hop number that brings the house down every time. They repeat part of it at the curtain call so stick around. Susana Aragon’s colorful combinations of costumes become part of the sound in the dance numbers on John Ramirez’ evocative sets. Dave Malloy on piano, Javad Butah on tabla and Ben Kunin on sarode (a stringed instrument with deep tones) enrich the music Emily Klion and Lisa Quoresimo composed with George Brooks. Danny Duncan is another of the co-writers of the script, which contains some unexpected wit and contemporary humor delivered with perfect timing. It is all gorgeous to watch.

After MYT performed Siddhartha last spring, Emily Klion, MYT Director, remounted it for their first ever professional run. So glad they did. The cast is a wonderfully diverse and talented group. There are no adult actors in the cast. Granted, some of the acting might be a hair less than professional, but many a theatre in the Bay Area could learn from the incredibly tight ensemble work and speedy set changes that this cast demonstrates with panache. You won’t see more beautifully spirited performers — whose individual light and talent shines brightly forth along with the candles they hold in one of the final dance numbers appropriately named “The Light of the World.”"

It’s a great, upbeat addition to the holiday shows in the Bay Area, with a special interest for those who do not celebrate Christmas but who want to join in the warmth of the season. This is a show appropriate for all ages. Don’t miss it!

Siddhartha: The Bright Path continues through Jan. 6 at The Marsh, 1062 Valencia Street, San Francisco. Tickets ($12 to $35) are available by phone at (415) 826-5750 or online at www.themarsh.org.