A mixture of adults and children perform for an audience of adults and
children making this a charming early evening or afternoon outing. The
original adaptation is a case of clear story telling with many direct quotes
from the source. It moves along briskly so it holds the attention of the
youngest theatergoers. This is appropriate for children five and up.
Storyline: Ebenezer Scrooge’s Christmas Eve visit from the Ghosts of
Christmas Past, Present and Future and his conversion from miserable miser
into cheerful benefactor of the Cratchit family, including Tiny Tim, is
enhanced by a number of Christmas carols and five songs written by Jule
Styne and Bob Merrill (Funny Girl).
The use of the songs by Styne and Merrill set this production apart from
many of the other A Christmas Carols offered during the holiday
season. They have been taken from a 1962 cartoon which featured Mr. Magoo,
but they stand on their own quite well. One particularly memorable one
serves as a duet between the elderly Scrooge and his vision of his younger
self. Music director Jennifer Craley Bland created marvelous arrangements
for these songs using the unusual but just-right combination of flute,
clarinet and cello. Players Julie Glasgow, Lindsay Tanner and Katie Tertell
deliver them cleanly, especially the charming overture.
Jim Scopelitis makes a fine Scrooge anchoring the adults of the company.
Michael Schlesinger is particularly good as Bob Cratchit. The children of
the company also impress, particularly Kevin Casto as the young Scrooge and
Jamie Richardson who, as Tiny Tim, not only has the line "God bless us every
one" but sings part of one of the Styne/Merrill songs quite well. Spencer
Deese as the teen-aged Scrooge’s friend is impressively light on his feet in
a party dance sequence that is done very well by the entire company.
Set designer Tyler Whitmore came up with a number of modules that roll on
or fly down to keep the delay for set up between scenes down to a minimum.
At the second performance of the run there were still some delays but that
should work itself out over the course of the fifteen-performance schedule.
Adaptation by Clare Kiley. Directed by Norman Aronovic. Musical direction
by Jenifer Craley Bland. Choreography by Dana McLeod. Design: Tyler Whitmore
(set) Jennifer Garrett (lights) Rachel Warren (costumes) Jonathan Ly Davis
(sound) Cast: Paul Baumbusch, Bob Bender, Alyssa Bloom, Dan Carroll, Keegan
Cassady, Kevin Casto, Taylor Cohan, Katie Culligan, Spencer Deese, Stacy
Fischer, Jan Forman, Lauren Giere, Jenni Graber, Mary Alice McCormaick,
Molly McCormick, Dave McDermott, Jamie Richardson, Michael Schlesinger, Jim
Scopelitis, Casey Tilton, Michael Waxman.
