Review: A WHYNOT CHRISTMAS CAROL at American Conservatory Theatre

A Whynot Christmas Carol

Written by Craig Lucas

Directed by Pam MacKinnon

American Conservatory Theatre

San Francisco audiences get to enjoy the world premiere of an ingenious new take on an old chestnut. A Christmas Carol, a much beloved holiday tradition, is seen through the eyes of a small-town theater troupe from Whynot as they struggle to mount their take on tradition in a novel and engaging production by Obie award winning and Tony nominated director Craig Lucas.

Like other plays that deal with the mounting of play (A Chorus Line, Kiss Me, Kate), Whynot shows us the nuts and bolts of the backstage environment complete with last-minute actor replacements, lack of funding, precocious child actors, conflicting opinions and an actress with a whistling S. A.C.T. Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon helms the production which covers both the chaos of the workshop process, through tech and previews.

The cast includes a who’s who of Bay Area legends; Stacy Ross as the troupe’s director, Jomar Tagatac as Jess, Rosie Hallett as Karen, Sara Toby Moore as Swan, and Dan Hiatt as Phil. Once the troupe moves from workshop to tech their production begins to soar. Scrooge’s (Hiatt) visit by his late partner Jacob Marley (Tagatac) is a thing of beauty and impeccable acting. Similarly, the staging and costumes (David Zinn), lighting (Russell H. Champa), magic effects (Skylar Fox) and puppetry (Amanda Villalobos) all rise to A.C.T.’s ambitious standards.

Hiatt steals the show, both as the irascible actor Phil who lashes out at all about him and as Ebeneezer Scrooge. It’s a tour de force performance buoyed by the excellent ensemble cast. Mackinnon and Lucas are all about change, and indeed we’re in a moment of incredible flux socially and politically. Scrooge’s metamorphosis has always been a source of joy and redemption and when he says “Is there not reason for hope in this moment?” we all want to believe  it.

With its often-crazy backstage viewpoint, stunning look and wonderful acting, a Whynot Christmas Carol has the seeds of a new holiday tradition.

A Whynot Christmas Carol continues through December 24th. Tickets at the A.C.T. Box Office at 415-749-2228 or online at act-sf.org/a-whynot-christmas-carol.

Photo credits: Kevin Berne