I have been unable to catch A Christmas Carol at the Chatham Community Players this year (vacation and then an awful cold), but I have been reviewing this production for 13 years. They have been performing this version for 22 years.
Based on my past experience, this year’s production is as wonderful as past efforts. This is a treat for the entire family. And you can do it without paying tolls, parking and hefty ticket prices!
Here are some excerpts from some of my past reviews:
The wild and joyous “Dance with Your Dumpling,” performed by Mr. and Mrs Fezziwig, ably projects the delight many people feel at holiday time. —December 14, 1997
Alan Semok’s Scrooge is at first appropriately tightfisted and very unattractive; with his hunched back and face screwed into a permanent sneer (“He even sleeps with a sneer,” someone says), it’s easy to see how “scrooge” became a synonym for “miser.” His smile, however, lights up the playhouse by the end of the play. —December 4, 1999
…many local theatergoers and their families are repeat ticket buyers; parents who saw the show as children often bring their own offspring to see it when they’re old enough. And not much changes, either, other than some of the actors and costume details. The lovely melodies and costumes, the ghostly appearances stay pretty much the same, as does the high level of talent attracted to audition for this show. —December 13, 2003
Appearing together for their 100-plus performance, Stephen J. Stubelt, as Charles Dickens, and Alan Semok, as Ebenezer Scrooge, act as though this is the first time they’ve played the roles. —December 2, 2005
The changes made to the Chatham Community Players’ 2005 production of this old chestnut have only enhanced the play. The audience’s gasps at the ghosts’ appearances and the “oohs” and “aahs” in response to the sparkles and the disco ball lights remind us of the ability of the theater to awaken our imaginations. The Players pull out all the stops for A Christmas Carol, artistically and creatively, to give us a real holiday treat. So if you’ve never seen this show—and even if you’ve gone numerous times—call the box office for tickets before they’re sold out! —December 2, 2005
Back onstage after a hiatus of three years, the production sports a new look, with redesigned sets and new additions to the large cast, many of them actors in their début performances with the company. But the lovely melodies and gorgeous costumes are the same. Ditto the nifty special effects, deliberately left here unrevealed, scare Scrooge—and the audience —whenever the ghosts appear, which will be reassuring to those who have seen the production before, either as children or bringing their own offspring to extend the holiday tradition. —December 7, 2008
