If the local theater scene has been in need of something fresh in the way of a holiday show, then it’s found it in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, which opened last weekend at Tennessee Repertory Theatre. Tom Mula’s literate and magical script is rooted in the key elements of the Dickens classic. But it also breathes new life into the inspiring tale with its focus on Ebenezer Scrooge’s not-so-dearly departed business partner.
We all know Marley, who appears in ghostly form, shackled in chains, destined to roam the netherworld forever. He’s the one who clues in Scrooge to the errors of his ways and initiates the old misanthrope’s journey of spiritual awakening. What Mula attempts with great success is a heartfelt glimpse into Marley’s own redemption, as the man comes to grips with his earthly shortcomings and then, in order to pay his dues to humanity, accepts the challenging task of leading Scrooge to enlightenment.
Director Scot Copeland, on loan from Nashville Children’s Theatre, displays a keen grasp of this material. He has gathered a versatile cast of local talent, and his technically efficient and imaginative staging provides a classy showcase for the four players—Henry Haggard, Brian Webb Russell, Peter Vann and Sam Whited—who work the script with a committed ensemble feel.
Haggard (Marley) is his usual commanding self on stage, bringing his character from cold cynicism to believably warm renewal. Russell (Scrooge) is his able foil, and their scenes together cleanly remind us of the Dickens original without losing sight of this work’s new theme. Vann (Bogle) plays the role of Marley’s spiritual facilitator (akin to the Clarence figure of It’s a Wonderful Life), and he’s youthful, funny, sometimes lovably unaware, but never dim. The versatile Whited brings his elegant tenor voice to his primary role as the afterlife’s Record Keeper, and he’s both whimsical and appropriately serious as he makes Marley’s options clear—make amends or face oblivion.
This marvelous production is played out on Gary Hoff’s brooding fantasy set, which hints at filmmaker Tim Burton’s stylistic sensibility, with its oversized ledgers and grandly imposing Tower of London clock-face looking down ominously on the proceedings. Chris Wilson’s lighting design also adds immensely to the atmosphere, its flickering stars and cool-colored touches of floor lighting enhancing the constant play of light with shadow. Sometimes the stage is completely dark, save only for the large candles hoisted about by the actors, which adds the effective glow of low-tech eeriness.
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol is consummate professional theater, but younger audiences will likely appreciate its smart writing and canny theatrical craftsmanship.
Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge
On the other end of the holiday spectrum is this Christopher Durang spoof, a GroundWorks Theatre production onstage through Dec. 16 at the Darkhorse Theater.
This may be the perfect show for those who are fairly fed up with typical seasonal entertainment. In reworking the Dickens classic, Durang manages to poke fun at the pieties of uplifting cultural standbys, which, besides A Christmas Carol, include O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, It’s a Wonderful Life and TV’s Touched by an Angel.
Durang certainly achieves laughter in his suggestion that Mrs. Cratchit has had it up to here with too many children, not enough money and her life with her blundering do-gooder hubby. In her despair, she ponders suicide, pops Zoloft and even finds herself attracted to Scrooge. Meanwhile, with the play’s farfetched action interspersed with a few lively musical numbers, we watch the Cratchit children eat a McDonald’s Happy Meal for a holiday dinner.
Director Melissa Bedinger-Hade allows Durang’s freewheeling spirit to flourish, even though the humor starts to flag about two-thirds of the way through. That’s not anyone’s fault; it’s just tough to consistently execute such a collection of similarly pitched gags long into the night.
The good-sized cast is definitely having fun, and major players Jim Wright, Trish Moalla Crist, Michael Roark, Lane Wright and Dustin Swinney work the satire for all it’s worth. Jervon Dailey has the key role as the narrator, and her animated performance drives the scenes enjoyably homeward. She might polish things up by taking even more time with her speeches so we catch every silly word of Durang’s writing.
As an alternative to warm-and-fuzzy Christmastime fare, this production has plenty of merit, with its laughs far outweighing its slightly overdone theme.
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