Theatre 29 opened its 2021-22 holiday production of “A Christmas Carol, The Musical” on November 19th. Entertainment Reporter Charlie Thomas was in the audience this past weekend and offers this review…
With another holiday season upon us, particularly one following a vicious pandemic the world is still trying to shed itself of, the redemptive tale of Charles Dickens’ classic chestnut of “A Christmas Carol” would seem to the more cynical of humanity, not particularly timely. They couldn’t be more wrong. The central tenet of the tale is that no one is beyond redemption, one can always choose a different fork in the road they travel, no matter how far they have gone. In a world rife with disinformation on virtually any topic and stone hard opinions, it is particularly timely.
Director Lisa Goldberg understood this in her debut in the director’s chair. She makes good use of the logistics of the venue, allowing scene changes to move harmoniously between scenes for the most part. Keeping the set simple was a good choice, considering the many places and times that the story conveys the viewer. The Lighting plot was effective in it’s focused use of white light and its vibrancy of color choice to indicate mood and time, since the story is as much told as memory than as the contemporaneous timeline. The Sound plot was not overpowering to the audience. The costuming by Tera Bottorff was time era appropriate and beautifully rendered.
This production’s Ebenezer Scrooge is John Pollnow, whose take on the curmudgeonly miser was one of unusual youthful vitality housing a wrinkled old soul. His retorts to numerous opportunities of showing an ounce of humanity were reminiscent of a vicious, aggressive dog, snapping at everything that moves. Watching his evolution through the course of the memory play showed a great deal of nuance and a golden voice to match. His performance of the cathartic “Yesterday, Tomorrow and Today” was enough to bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded skinflint. As “A Christmas Carol” is (first and foremost) a ghost story, the spectral trio at the center of this tale were all women who each added distinct flavor and strength to their portrayals. The Ghost of Christmas Past was played by Jasmine Shaffer. After a number for years off the Theatre 29 stage, Shaffer’s mercurial effervescent portrayal here was a joy to behold. The character was a fully realized spirit, able to channel the warmth and pathos of remembrance with a wink to the audience and an almost motherly guidance of Scrooge’s early missteps. Her vocals are as lush and vibrant as ever, tempered with a maturity of heightened skill and experience. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows a bright and sassy Robin Wilson as the jolly spirit of current holiday joy. With her velvet alto and her no-nonsense demeanor, this Christmas Present is well worth receiving. The dark apparition of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was given an embodiment, rather than the hooded and cloaked dementor-esque creature we have all seen variations before, in the form of Anna Pollnow. While it is never a loquacious role, her smooth body movement and stealthy, shuddersome mannerisms clearly conveyed the threat and the omen of Scrooge’s future is he doesn’t change his ways. The Ghostly Jacob Marley, played by Rob Wanless, conveyed the threat and the example of the excesses of gold lust and disregard for one’s fellow man. Kudos on the ghostly makeup effects to Liyan McNeltier on the deathly pallor of Marley and Christmas Yet to Come, as well as her makeup and hair design for the production at large.
The wholesome, long suffering Cratchit family, portrayed here by Ian Ferris as Bob, Imelda Patu as Mrs. Cratchit, Daughter Martha is Carly Bateman and the perennial Tiny Tim is Adonai Patu. As the now “not so Tiny Tim”, Adonai adds the innocence and good-natured soul of the maladied lad. It’s been two years since we have seen him on stage and has he grown! Ian and Adonai, together, showed great father/son chemistry. My only criticism would be with the writers, not this production team. It seems that good old Bob was put a bit on the back burner in this script, I would have liked to get to know him a little bit more as the novel elucidated.
The use of a gauze curtain just behind the proscenium arch allowed to further illustrate the separation of Scrooge and the focus of his memory play. I wished that during certain scenes, such as the Fezziwig ball, that the curtain could have been pulled away so the audience could see more clearly the action occurring. I would have liked to seen the facials better between veteran Kurt Schauppner as Mr. Fezziwig and Kat Young as a brassy Mrs. Fezziwig. Schauppner is always delightful in his character choices and Ms. Young is a find in this role. She was very reminiscent of a Madame Thénardier in ‘Les Misérables’. I hope to see more of her in future. Other standouts were Scrooge’s Mother, expertly performed with motherly soul by Erin Itnryre Keeran. Her lullaby “God Bless Us Everyone”, is heartbreaking. Scott Clinkscales’ Young Scrooge and Noah Wahlberg’s Young Marley were terrific in these incarnations, paired with equally strong, complimentary vocals. Jocelyn Gonzalez as Grace Smythe also provided strong solo support in an ensemble role that was, nonetheless, remarkable. The ensemble, who are too numerous to full mention here, also deserve congratulations on the many roles they play in filling out the universe of Dickens’ London. You all looked like you were having a good time up there and it is infectious (can we still say that, anymore?). Congratulations to Musical Directors Liyan McNeltier and Scott Clinkscales on keeping this cast of 27 in sync and sounding beautiful. Overall, ensemble vocals were consistent, if, at times, difficult to hear. The main stage would have benefited by microphone amplification.
I would be remiss is I did not talk about the choreography of the piece. While the work is rarely a dance focused tale, there were some elements that I had not seen in the telling of the story before. There were a cadre of black swathed dancers who were the center of the dance corps (Scott Clinkscales, Eliana Hicks, Caryl Bateman & Anna Pollnow). They portrayed dark spirits threatening Scrooge with the afterlife chains he was forging as well as grave diggers in the “Dancing on Your Grave” number with more modernistic movement and Fosse-esque body contortion. Particular mention goes to Eliana Hicks whose balletic training was evident in one of the best dance performances we have seen on this stage in many years. The dance sequence in “Mr. Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Ball” is also a standout.
“A Christmas Carol, The Musical” is a beautiful way to light the spark to your holiday season. And, as our Tim says, “God Bless Us, Everyone!”.
“A Christmas Carol, The Musical” will perform weekends through December 12. For tickets, please visit theatre29.org or call (760) 361-4151.
Theatre 29 observes COVID-19 mitigation measures suggested by the CDC and state/local health departments for all patrons, volunteers, staff, and performers. These measures include proof of full Covid-19 vaccination or proof of a negative covid-19 test administered within 48 hours of the production date. Additionally, full face masking is required of all attendees and staff, for the continued safety of all in attendance. All performers are fully vaccinated.
