REVIEW: CCP'S TRADITIONAL "CHRISTMAS CAROL" STILL RELEVANT AND ENTERTAINING DESPITE A LACK OF MAGIC

By Ruth Ross

If it’s December, you can be sure that some version of the old holiday chestnut, A Christmas Carol, is playing somewhere in New Jersey! Indeed, I can count at least four productions from Princeton to Hackettstown to Madison and, of course, in Chatham, where the Chatham Community Players have, biannually since 1988, performed an original musical version of the Dickens’ tale, adapted from his text, letters and journals, written exclusively for the troupe.

Eleven charming songs by McKinley and Suzanne Buhrer add to the merriment of the evening and set the mood for what is perhaps the most famous ghost story of all time. Using as his narrator Mr. Charles Dickens, McKinley retells the classic story of the miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge, who is redeemed on Christmas Day, after three visits by ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Producing the same show 18 times means that it’s important to find something fresh to say each time! For me, what resonated was Charles Dickens’ role as a social critic; in this case, his target is hard-hearted, grasping men of business; economic depression; and blatant human indifference for one’s fellowman—especially children. That A Christmas Carol, written in 1843, still resonates today is stark evidence that the more things change, the more they stay the same, which isn’t very heartening at this time of year.

Under the co-direction of new-to-the-production Amanda Papa and Matt Mancuso, the show features elaborate costumes, complete with bonnets and muffs, cravats and top hats, petticoats and hooped skirts, and scarves galore, by Fran Harrison and Beth Gleason; complex choreography by Papa and Mancuso, energetically performed by the large cast; and an evocative 19^th century London street scene set designed by Roy Pancirov and decorated by Carol Peterson Saso. However, without special effects—like mist/smoke, fairy dust or twinkling lights—or genuine scary moments to convey the tale's fantastic, otherworldly aspect, the whole thing is rather utilitarian and bland.

As Scrooge, Jonathan Richards (right) lacks the hard, avaricious edge necessary to make his conversion so stunning. A faint smile undercuts his penury as he contemplates “The Jingle of Money” in his strongbox, fingering the coins and letting them drop just to hear the lovely sound. More successfully, he shouts, “Bah! Humbug!” to his kind nephew and dismisses pleas for a donation to help poor children by barking “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” as he physically throws the solicitors out of his office with a roar.

Several parts are played by newcomers, who quite perform admirably. Paul Salierno is terrific as Scrooge’s nephew Fred; his performance is matched by Katherine Hope Stelma as Belle, Scrooge’s fiancée, whom he abandons for his one true love: money. Jason Benjamin is appropriately timid as Scrooge’s clerk Bob Cratchit; his lovely wife is played by Lisa Wolper with an aura of sadness around her. Their rendition of “If I Could Hold You in My Arms” is heart-wrenching.

As young Scrooge’s employers Mrs. and Mr. Fezziwig, Rebecca Iacovitti and Nick Foil (left), respectively, are hilarious; their infectious, jolly laughs make the entire audience tap their toes to “Dance with Your Dumpling”! Heather Cozine’s Laundress, pawning the dead Scrooge’s blankets, is appropriately grasping and unremorseful; she really adds to the very funny “Pawnbroker’s Song,” with its refrain, “Cheerio, ta-ta,” and its lively choreography. A bevy of kids play smaller roles quite well. But the real show stealer is Leo Caravano, returning once again as young Scrooge and Tiny Tim. His sweet -voiced rendition of “Tiny Tim’s Dream” is very soulful and poignant.

On the more fantastic side, Missy Renwick (right, with Richards) is a luscious Ghost of Christmas Past, sporting a white diaphanous gown, ribbons and blonde curls; her beautiful voice lends an especially haunting quality to “Remember” as she takes Scrooge on a journey through his past. It was here that the lack of special effects undercut the ethereal mood one would expect when going back in time. A physically imposing Idris Talbott as the Ghost of Christmas Present commands the stage as he pulls food out of his voluminous robe, and as the faceless Ghost of Christmas Future on stilts and dressed in a blood-red hooded gown, Leo Vasile struts around the stage to show Scrooge what could happen if the old man doesn’t change his miserable, miserly ways. He is also the busker tap-dancing on a board to accompany the opening number (bottom image)—quite a hoofer! The best special effects of the evening are the chains enveloping Ed Faver as Marley; every time they snap on the floor, lighting eerily ensues.   

Taking over the role of Charles Dickens, an amiable Chip Prestera (left) ably leads us through Scrooge’s journey, interweaving details of Dickens’ personal life with the ghost tale. Onstage for the entire two hours, with lots of dialogue to memorize and deliver, Prestera deserves kudos as the glue that holds the entire production together.

Kyle Cao’s musical direction and Joe DeVico’s sound accompany without drowning out most of the singers. Ed Whitman’s lighting is, for the most part, atmospheric but could have been spookier.

Despite this production’s dearth of magic, A Christmas Carol is still great family entertainment. Despite the darker aspects of the story—ghosts, lost opportunities, abject poverty and death—and the fact that it has little to do with the original Christmas, its emphasis on redemption, hope, love and family makes A Christmas Carol a story for the entire year, not just the holiday season.

A Christmas Carol will be performed December 6, 7, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 and 21 at 8PM and December 8, 14, 15, & 21 at 3PM, at the Chatham Playhouse, 23 N. Passaic Ave., Chatham.

Tickets can be purchased online by accessing the theater’s online ticketing service, where you can now reserve your particular seat, simply go to chathamplayers.org. The service is available 24 hours a day. For information regarding Tickets, please call the box office number at (973) 635-7363. Patrons with special needs requiring seating accommodations should contact the Playhouse at least 24 hours prior to the performance. Without prior notice, accommodation cannot be guaranteed.

Photos by Melanie Ruskin