Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Kicks Off the Holiday Season at Sacramento Theatre Company

The holiday season is a time when we all reflect upon the past year. The good, the bad, and everything in between comes up for dissection as we are influenced to improve in the new year. No tale conveys this idea more clearly than Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol. Sacramento Theatre Company presents an adaptation by Richard Hellesen and David DeBerry that is more enjoyable each subsequent year you see it.

Reprising his role from last year is Matt K. Miller as Ebenezer Scrooge. Miller continues to bring a sensitivity to the role that makes him a very likable Scrooge, yet his miserly persona is just as believable. Joining him again is co-director and choreographer Michael Jenkinson as Bob Cratchit. By turns vulnerable, engaging, and joyful, Jenkinson is a Cratchit to cheer for.

Supported by a stellar cast that includes the statuesque Melinda Parrett as The Ghost of Christmas Past and a charmingly comical Jake Mahler as The Ghost of Christmas Present, STC's A Christmas Carol is a holiday treasure that will appeal to the entire family. Music by the late David DeBerry brings merriment in the form of such songs as, "Wassail" and "The Hearty, the True, and the Bold." This is a wonderful show to use to introduce the family to classic literature and the experience of live theatre.

A Christmas Carol plays at Sacramento Theatre Company through December 23rd. Tickets may be purchased at the Box Office at 1419 H Street in Sacramento, by calling (916) 443-6722, or by visiting www.sactheatre.org.

Photo credit: Charr Crail Photography