Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE NEW MUSICAL at The Henegar Center

The holidays, for many, are about family, food, and traditions. We listen to familiar songs, pull out decorations that have been in the family for generations, and partake in the annual viewing of familiar holiday classics. One of those classics, that holds a special place for many, and which has been gracing page, stage, and screen for almost 200 years is Charles Dickens' "Ghost Story of Christmas" A Christmas Carol. The tale of crotchety and greedy old Ebenezer Scrooge and his supernatural Christmas Eve adventure through his past, present, and future is so familiar it can often feel stale and overdone. But when a fresh twist on the story, say, in musical form, comes around it is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a holiday favorite in a new and exciting way. That's the case for A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE NEW MUSICAL currently being presented by The Henegar Center in Melbourne, FL.

The Henegar's A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE NEW MUSICAL is a staging of the 1997 musical with music by Steve Parsons and Book and Lyrics by John Popa and is the first time this production has been mounted in the area. Parsons' beautiful score, which has been captured extremely well by Clay Price, Jameson Boyce and a "small collection of musicians" delivers the sweeping arc of the story in a very "Disney-eque" way with the proper amount of holiday flair. John Popa's lyrics are at times a little trite and expected but deliver the emotional moments in Scrooge's journey quite well.

The Henegar Center's Executive Artistic Director, Dominic Del Brocco (who also serves as Choreographer) does a great job breathing fresh life into the story with A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE NEW MUSICAL and he has assembled a solid cast of actors who do a great job telling this classic tale. As the titular Ebenezer Scrooge, Terry Girard does a good job both with his PG (Pre-Ghosts) characterization as well as Scrooge's change of heart later in the play. Jared Sierra shows off a beautiful singing voice and a heart-wrenching performance as Bob Cratchit, father to Tiny Tim (played, and sung, extremely well by Austin Ervin). Other performances (from a solid ensemble) of note include Amanda Telebrico as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Brooke Wolfington as Belle, the object of affection for Young Ebenezer (Jacob Ballard).

Cliff Price's beautiful (and functional) rotating set works extremely well - almost playing a role in the story itself as it turns backward (and forward) the years of Scrooge's life. There are some magical effects (no spoilers!) that take place at pivotal moments of the story which add a wow factor and serve as icing on an already delicious cake of a production. Ethan Lolley, as vocal director, coaxes a solid sound out of the ensemble, which makes the group numbers particularly stirring. Jennifer Frandsen's costumes and wigs are lovely, period-appropriate, and sometimes unexpected - such as her unique take on the Ghost of Christmas Future. Jerome Carmery's lighting helps paint the mood well and Josh Bucklin's sound design is equally solid.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE NEW MUSICAL is presented at The Henegar Center, 625 E New Haven Ave, Melbourne, FL 32901 and runs through December 19th. Tickets are $25 - $36. Performances are Fridays and Saturday evenings at 8:00pm and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. For more information, email info@henegar.org, call 321-723-8698 (Tue-Fri, 10am-3pm), or visit www.HenegarCenter.com

All Photos provided by The Henegar Center