‘A
Christmas Carol’ was written by Charles Dickens in 1843 and has since become a
holiday classic. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by three
ghosts on Christmas Eve who remind him of his past, guide him through his
present and show him his potential future. By the end of these visits, Scrooge
finds himself permanently changed and vows to be a better man to those around
him and keep the Spirit of Christmas alive all year long.
Over
the years this story has been adapted into films, stage productions and more.
Each year families will gather together to take in a production of this story,
be it a film like ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’ or a lavish stage production
performed by a local theatre company. What makes MRT’s production stand-out
amongst the rest is its simplistic approach to sharing this story as Charles
Dickens himself would have shared it and allowing the audience the opportunity
to focus on its message of hope, redemption, compassion and love.
Adapted
by Tony Brown, this version gives us the story as told by author Charles
Dickens in a similar fashion to how Dickens himself did public readings of the
novella over the last eighteen years of his life before passing in 1870. What enriches
this minimalistic production further is the performance of traditional carols
by two musicians throughout. The choice by the creative team, led by director
Megan Sandberg-Zakian, to include music in the telling of this well-known story
was an inspired decision that I believe truly enhanced the performance. Music
director Nathan Leigh selected songs that were around when Dickens was writing
the story and was careful to include the lyrics of the time and not the revised
versions that were written years later. So while the tunes were oftentimes
familiar to audience members, many might not have noticed the lyrical
differences which added another level of authenticity to this production.
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Taking
on the role of Charles Dickens and wonderfully bringing life to characters of
this story, including the wealthy but tightfisted Ebenezer Scrooge, is stage
veteran Joel Colodner. With his rich voice and charming persona, he grabs the
audience’s attention within moments of stepping on stage and for the next two
hours had us amused and chuckling one minute and pondering our own lives the
next. His invested, emotional portrayal of Scrooge humanized a character who
oftentimes can be viewed as just a cranky, stingy old man. Colodner brought new
life to him and gave the audience a fresh perspective of this old story.
Also
on stage were Rebecca White, one of the musicians who also portrayed the three
ghosts, as well as Nathan Leigh the second musician and music director whose
instrument selections for the carols were ingenious and completely fit within
the story. Having seen this play performed with these two fantastic musicians,
it makes me wonder if I would have liked it as much without them. And honestly,
I don’t think the play would have had the same impact on the audience as it
does with the added musicians.
The
technical elements of this production nicely matched the tone of the play and made
the audience feel as though we may be sitting in someone’s living room hearing
this story told to us and singing carols during a holiday gathering. The scenic
design was by Randall Parsons with lighting design by Devorah Kengmana. The
costumes were designed by Miranda Kau Giurleo.
This
production is unique from any other I have seen and it was refreshingly enjoyed
by the audience who gave it a well-deserved standing ovation. © ‘A Christmas
Carol’ plays at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, located at 50 East Merrimack
Street Lowell, MA, until December 24th, 2017. Tickets range from $73-$26 with discounts
available for groups, students, seniors, Lowell residents, and military service
members. To purchase tickets or find more information visit www.mrt.org or call
978-654-4678.
