'A Christmas Carol' Sings in the Holiday Season
By: Nancy Grossman Dec. 11, 2005
By Charles Dickens
Adaptation by Erica Lipez; Music & Lyrics by Matt Corriel; Director Russell Garrett; Music Director Fred Frabotta; Lighting Designer Martin Vreeland; Sound Designer Ed Thurber; Costume Designer Kurt Hultgren; Associate Scenic Designer Erik Diaz; Production Stage Manager Steven R. Espach; Production Manager C. Russ Fletcher
CAST (in order of appearance)
Eddie Mekka, Narrator/Charity Man/Ghost of Christmas Present
John Davin, Ebenezer Scrooge
Matt DeAngelis, Bob Cratchit
Andrew Giordano, Fred
Tony Lawson, Marley's Ghost/Ensemble
Stephen Gagliastro, Man in the street/Teacher/Dick Wilkins/Domestic/Ensemble
Sarah Corey, Woman in the street/Mary Kate/Domestic/Ensemble
Mike Kazlaskas, Beggar/Young Ebenezer/Ensemble
Amanda Ferguson, Ghost of Christmas Past/Fred's Wife/Ensemble
Abby Rose, Fan/Ensemble
Mala Bhattacharya, Belle/Ensemble
Nathan Colby, Alexander/Topper/Ghost of Christmas Future/Ensemble
Marianne Ryan, Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig/Ensemble
Bill Taylor, Drunk Man/Ensemble
Mary Mallen, Ensemble
Nicholas Strafer, Tiny Tim
(65 children who rotate through different performance dates)
Foothills Theatre through December 23,2005 Box Office 508-754-4018
www.foothillstheatre.com
A cold, snowy Sunday provided the ideal backdrop for the opening of "A Christmas Carol" at the Worcester Foothills Theatre Company. Featuring Worcester native Eddie Mekka, remembered as Carmine on TV's "Laverne and Shirley," this staging of Charles Dickens' storied holiday piece provides a fresh look and a new sound with ten original musical numbers.
The strong ensemble and large children's cast act and sing with an energy and enthusiasm that brings the audience along right from the start. The opening chorus, set in the village commercial district with storefronts and townspeople milling about, is rather "Sweeney Todd"-esque. An unsuspecting man collecting for charity hears all of the locals singing the negatives about Ebenezer Scrooge (not so affectionately referred to as "'Neezie"), referencing his renowned wickedness and miserliness, yet hinting at the rumors that he had a rough start in life and once had both a heart and a heartthrob.
When John Davin makes his entrance as Scrooge, he is more than sufficiently curmudgeonly, sneering at passersby and barking at small children. Once inside the confines of Scrooge & Marley, his recitation of well-known lines to the Charity Man, Bob Cratchit, and nephew Fred leaves no doubt as to what is in his heart (what heart?) on Christmas Eve. After the scene shifts to Scrooge's bedchamber, various sound and light effects precede the parade of visiting spirits. Two large panels slide apart on the upstage wall, revealing a ghostly Jacob Marley, wrapped in long chains and enshrouded in clouds of fog, his powerful voice booming a warning to his former partner to mend his ways.
As promised, three more spirits come to call during the night, taking Scrooge on a magical journey through his past, present, and future. Some of the highlights of that trip include Fezziwig's raucous Christmas party (Mekka brings the former employer to joyous life) and the break-up of young Ebenezer and his betrothed. Mala Bhattacharya's lovely soprano infuses "Belle's Song" with warmth and pathos. Even old Scrooge is loath to depart this memory.
My favorite Mekka character is the Ghost of Christmas Present, which he plays a little like a gentile Tevya. He appears to be having a good time with it, too, especially when doing some cute choreography with Davin, wrapping his pudgy arms around him and swishing his massive velvet robe over him with a flourish. The humor of this segment stands in stark contrast with the darkness brought on by the Ghost of Christmas future. This spectre, surrounded by fog and accompanied by gloomy music, is garbed in a hooded black robe and must be at least ten feet tall. He is silent and communicates only by nodding and pointing, scaring the daylights out of Scrooge. With the number of small children in the audience, I was surprised not to hear any screaming!
Sarah Corey and Steve Gagliastro perform the scene in which Scrooge's domestics find him dead and help themselves to his belongings with black humor and good voices. The Cratchit family procession to Tiny Tim's gravesite serves as a counterbalance and morality lesson to the horrified Scrooge as he observes these portents. So much of Davin's portrayal is silently etched upon his face, showing Scrooge's pain, fear, and remorse. These last events, along with seeing his own headstone, are the ones that finally convince Ebenezer that he must change.
When he awakes in the morning, Scrooge blurts out, "I'm not dead!" with a mixture of relief and glee. It is a rapid and giddy ride to the end of the story as everyone gets to experience the new Scrooge, a smile permanently affixed to his face and his fistful of coins extended to help all those in need. And everyone lives happily ever after.
Erica Lipez and Matt Corriel, both of whom graduated from Harvard University in June, wrote this new musical adaptation of the age-old Dickens tale especially for the Foothills Theatre Company. I didn't think it was possible to breathe new life or new ideas into "A Christmas Carol" which is more than a century and a half old, but this young team has done it, augmented by the direction of Russell Garrett and musical direction of Fred Frabotta. Each of the craftsmen has enhanced the production, from the sets, to the period costumes, to the sound and light effects. The script has modest changes that seem to move the story along a bit faster, but varies little from the original. Setting the show to music certainly adds to the entertainment value, but none of the songs is memorable and some lyrics are forced or insipid. The talented voices, most especially those of Tony Lawson, Bhattacharya, Corey, and Gagliastro, are what sell the songs, not the songs themselves.
Musical theater will survive as long as companies like Foothills take a risk and nurture young talent like Lipez and Corriel. They have given a lovely gift of the season to Central Massachusetts. No "humbug" here!
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