Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Alabama Shakespeare Festival

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA — For a theatre company, the hardest part of mounting A Christmas Carol is making it feel fresh. The story is a staple of the stage during the holidays, and while that may be heartwarming for millions of audience members, there is always the risk of an artistically stale product. Thankfully, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival struck a healthy balance with their 2024 production of A Christmas Carol: heartwarming and familiar enough to please purists, but different enough to feel revitalized.

Rick Dildine is the playwright and director of this production. Dildine's script sticks meticulously to Charles Dickens's original book, quoting some of novel as dialogue or description narrated by ensemble members. The script includes details often dropped in other stage adaptations, such as a scene between Belle (Scrooge's ex-fiancée) and her husband that shows Scrooge what he missed in a family life. Punctuating the familiar story with these lesser-known events keeps the audience from becoming complacent in watching the play. There is a richness in these details that often gets lost in leaner adaptations of A Christmas Carol.

Dildine's direction saves A Christmas Carol from feeling like an old museum piece. The parties at Fezziwig's business and Fred's home are lively and bright, and the emotion in the scenes in the Cratchit home were human and real. Dildine has a consistency in the creation of stage pictures; many scenes could be turned into a holiday postcard.

However, the most noteworthy characteristic of Dildine's vision was how musical A Christmas Carol is. Traditional religious Christmas songs, such as "What Child Is This?" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," were integrated into the performance These were not staid renditions, though. The six-piece on-stage band provides spirited accompaniment that infused every their scenes with "comfort and joy."

Indeed, the band (consisting of Jo Brook, Matthew Clements, Chris Centinaro, Chris Mixon, Zack Powell, and Harry Thornton — all of whom also portrayed supporting characters) is the most memorable part of the production. The inclusion of a banjo and mandolin was surprising, but I found that it gave A Christmas Carol a southern flavor without betraying the British setting of the story. The songs also made Christ a greater part of the story than he is in Dickens's novel. Thanks to the band and the music, this is a Christmas Carol tailored for Alabama.

Paul Slade Smith reprises the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, after playing the character last year at the Festival. As the tallest member of the 28-person cast, his lanky frame makes Smith look like he stepped out of an El Greco painting. Smith uses his height to his advantage, striking an imposing figure over the other characters. This is a stark contrast to the later parts of the play he is cowering on the stage or begging the final ghost for mercy. It is a contrast that makes Scrooge seems extra humbled.

But Smith spends most of the play reacting to the scenes the ghosts show him. In this, Smith quietly shows the change in Scrooge's heart. It is a subtle performance that might get lost in the upper rows of the theater, but it is a rewarding character arc to watch.

Matt Lytle plays Bob Cratchit has a supremely sympathetic husband, father, and employee. Thanks to Lytle, I saw Bob as the anti-Scrooge for the first time. When Bob donates to charity (after Scrooge refuses to), leads his family in prayer, or expressing gratefulness for Scrooge as "the father of the feast," he is a man already living the life that Scrooge must be scared into adopting. Lytle does all of this realistically; his Bob Cratchit is not a downtrodden man, nor is he a perfect saint. He makes goodness seem achievable.

Chauncey Thomas steals the show as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Thomas is a 19th century Dionysus, and his booming voice and commanding presence make it impossible to turn away from his performance. The ghost's delight in spreading the magic of Christmas was also a special treat in the show.

Among the other cast members, I enjoyed Adrian Denis Kiser as the Ghost of Christmas Past, whose otherworldly line delivery was appropriate for the character. Emily Shain was a sweet presence as Mrs. Cratchit and was believable as busy mother of six and proud homemaker. The only weak link in the cast was Tarah Flanagan as the ghost Jacob Marley. Flanagan was not successful in creating a fearsome persona, and she was burdened by meandering blocking that served more to take up room on the stage than to advance the scene.

Costume Designer Kathleen Geldard created admirable period clothes for the cast. Ensemble members wore red and green clothing, while actors playing speaking characters in a scene were dressed in other colors. The combination mixed holiday festivity with the practical need of drawing attention to important people in a scene. Fundamentally, though, the costumes were a success because they were accurate for the period and gorgeous to look at.

The other major technical success in A Christmas Carol was the set and projections designed by Edward T. Morris. The massive upstage set piece had large doors that could open up to allow furniture or smaller set pieces to be added to the stage. Sure, it served a function of facilitating rapid scene changes, but it also built anticipation for the next scene. When the doors would open, I eagerly anticipated to see what would emerge, like a kid unwrapping a Christmas present. Morris's upstage set piece also was a wonderful backdrop for his animations and projections, which added a little bit of magic to many of the scenes.

A Christmas Carol at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival is the beloved classic story, with a southern twist. The cast and creative team have successfully found the right mix of old and new to make the classic story into a unique work of art. There is no better way to get ready for the Christmas season than with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's production of A Christmas Carol.

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