BWW Reviews: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Plays a Modern and Moving Tune

In a holiday season crowded with just about every version of Dickens' classic imaginable, you can count on Trustus Theatre to stage a production that is totally fresh, modern, and compelling. Running at Trustus' main stage through December 20, this adaptation is penned by Patrick Barlow, who famously created the stage version of THE 39 STEPS, an astonishing piece requiring a few actors to play myriad characters in a sly, deft script that is overtly theatrical and physical. Barlow's touch is clearly apparent in his treatment of Dickens, as here we see one actor (Stann Gwynn) playing Ebenezer Scrooge, while four other actors (Scott Herr, Catherine Hunsinger, Avery Bateman, and Kendrick Marion) play all the other roles. Dickens being Dickens, there is no shortage of roles, ranging from a single appearance to rotating through the entire story. In addition, these actors are tasked with singing, dancing, and playing a variety of instruments on stage, going beyond even "triple threat" accomplishments. There is even room for the "smallest roles" to be filled by puppets. These disparate elements are united by director Chad Henderson's creative steampunk vision of the work, lending a familiar and yet not familiar feel to the show, blending Victoriana with 21st-century sounds and sensibilities. And yet for all of these novel nuances, the adaptation stays true to Dickens' ultimate message of the innate goodness of the human spirit, once found and touched. Surely Dickens' sentiment is well-preserved here on stage, though without the treacly sentimentality that is too cloying for today's palates.

Surely the story is familiar to all: the tight-fisted, flinty Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by the ghost of his business partner Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come, revisiting key episodes in his life and meeting those who break down his emotional walls. Upon awakening, he is transformed and appreciates and enacts the true meaning of Christmas. Dickens purists should be aware that this version playfully adds and expands upon his original language and cast of characters, inventing some minor ones, deleting others, thereby rendering the work more expository and accessible for modern audiences. It is also very self-consciously a "play", at times directly addressing the audience, overtly aware of the power of story-telling. The influence of other plays and theatrical devices are visible in the script, as are manifestly psychological motivations that are more unconnected dots in Dickens' original tale. Trustus' production also takes the supernatural aspects of the story very seriously, and Scrooge's haunting by Marley has an element of real fright. Yet this Scrooge is a tough nut to crack; he is not easily converted by reliving the end of his engagement to Isabella (a particularly effective and affective scene), nor by his encounters with (the truly tiny) Tiny Tim. He is transformed when he is finally able to confront and dispatch the tyrant of his childhood, the hideous Mr. Grimes, the kind of Yorkshire public schoolmaster whose cruelty and spirit-crushing demands terrorize boys in much of Dickens' work. By banishing the bully, Scrooge no longer identifies with the aggressor, connects to love, and is made whole.

This adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL offers meaty and frankly fun opportunities for the cast, and their enthusiasm is infectious. Stann Gwynn's Scrooge has much more stage business at his disposal than do other Scrooges, and he makes the most of both comic and tragic turns. His range also goes beyond an Ebenezer one-note, ultimately showing us a layered, happy, and self-amazed redemption and not, as is sometimes unfortunately portrayed by others, a manic episode. The ensemble of four supporting actors works well together, and each has superb individual moments, including those as the various haunting spirits and as everyday people; the characters are finely etched and distinguishable, and their regional accents, including Yorkshire, Irish, and Cockney, are well-executed. The cast is also in fine voice, and the use of some traditional Christmas carols (sometimes in non-traditional ways), works well. The unifying theme of "In the Bleak Midwinter" also is a clever touch. The general soundscape is important to the production, but is just as effective when it is subtle as when it lives large. The set is deceptively simple and creatively used to take full advantage of the multilevel space. The costumes and make-up reflect the story's fantastic and dreamy qualities, and emphasize the sense that this is transpiring on a unique plane. Finally, particular note is taken of the excellent lighting (especially in Marley's scene), and the atmospheric video projection.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a formidable story that can inspire laughter, tears, dread, and wonder. This production holds all those, and more: this is not a period piece, but a living work whose message is as timely as when it was first written. Reverence does not have to equal dusty; this classic is indeed first-class.

Photo Credit: Corey Alpert

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