By Richard Pacheco
A Christmas Carol at Trinity Repertory
By Richard Pacheco
You can always tell when the
Christmas season approaches. It all used to start with the Macy’s Thanksgiving
Day parade. And in theater, there is always the perennial Dickens “A Christmas
Carol” or David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries”. Trinity Repertory brings vividly
to life the Dickens classic with verve, imagination and a sheer abundance of
talent which shines throughout. This production is pure fun, rollicking,
creative and well acted. It is the 200th
birthday year of Dickens.
Timothy Crowe shines as Ebenezer
Scrooge, the cranky, crotchety skinflint who evolves into a kind, generous
human being after being visited by several ghosts, including his departed
business partner, Jacob Marley. Mr. Crowe is a joy as Scrooge. He is robust,
articulate and funny as well as fun. His
transition from skinflint to generous patron of the poor and supporter of
Christmas from the master of humbug is full of marvelous moments. He has done
the role 15 times to date.
Stephen Thorne delivers a
enthralling and charming performance as Jacob Marley. He offers many fine
touches both as the dying Marley (in this version he does not start off already
dead) with Scrooge and as the returning ominous ghost who comes out from beneath
Scrooge’s bed.
Mauro Hantman is pure fun as Bob
Cratchit, the devoted father of Tiny Tim and Christmas devotee. He is nervous
around his boss, but the scene at Tiny Tim’s grave is not as powerful as it
could be.
Leicester London is on the mark as
Scrooge’s nephew Fred. He is animated and full of verve as Fred. He is also
imposing as the ominous Ghost of Christmas Future, a tall, dark creature with
glowing red eyes who moves slowly and methodically.
Mia Ellis is winning as the Ghost
of Christmas Past with a captivating entrance on a trapeze which descends from
the ceiling in a grand way. She is deftly poised and pleasurable in the role.
The Ghost of Christmas Present is
given multiple duty with Benjamin Thornton and Elliot Peters and Joe Wilson Jr.
with a fake beard as Christmas Present ages a bit, and they are sheer
enjoyment, full of liveliness. It starts with a younger Christmas Present who
ages as time passes into an older version of himself.
Tom Gleadow is captivating as the
reader who starts off the entire adventure. He opens the show when the
children, who work for him polishing shoes and they do so around the audience
prior to the show, plead with him to tell them a story. He tells them the story
of Scrooge’s change of nature. The children are feisty and full of life, with
solid singing voices and perky energy. Phineas Peters who alternates with
Bedros Kevorkian on different nights is enchanting as Tiny Tim.
The rest of the large cast is full
of zest and energy. The singing by the cast is swarming with vim and vigor,
full of fine distinction. The original music by Richard Cumming is captivating
and endearing and punctuates it at various times. The play does not have many
special effects, the trapeze descent of Christmas Past, some snow, Marley
emerging from beneath Scrooge’s bed and the video sections with the clock face
are about it. The floor opens and closes for various scenes. There is nothing really dark and brooding
about this production unlike some in the past. There are no real frightening moments with the ghosts and it is all kept
lighter, breezier. It is a straightforward and relatively simple production
fairly faithful to the original story.
This adaptation by Adrian Hall and
Richard Cumming is amusing and enjoyable.
Director Tyler Dobrowsky keeps the
pacing swift and bright, avoding darker moments, a rollicking good time for all
ages.
The Eugene Lee set is both simple
and stylish. It has two stories and on the upper level is a large clock face, a
sort of Big Ben, which figures well into the tale. It is a battered board
façade which is not that much like London
in the 1840’s but seems to work none the less.
The costume designs by Alison
Walker Carrier are stunning, both historically faithful and dazzling.
This is a merry romp full of
pleasurable moments and robust energy. It is a wonderful holiday treat that is a
pleasant trip, not at all scary. It will be presented at Trinity Repertory at
the upstairs Elizabeth and Malcolm
Chase theater until Dec. 29. For tickets, call the box office at 401-351-4242. Adult ticket prices for A Christmas
Carol start at Tickets are $36-$70. Children’s tickets (age 2-14) start at
$22. For information on group discounts for parties
of 20 or more contact Group Sales at 401-351-4242 or online at online at: http://www.trinityrep.com
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