I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: December 10, 2015] A Christmas Carol

Last night we attended McCarter’s production of A Christmas Carol for the second time (first time was two years ago).  We went specifically because it is the last time that they are doing this particular performance of the show (it has been the same for 16 years).  Next year they will be doing something entirely new.

We were pretty staggered by the pricing (last time we got super cheap seats but they were pretty far into the corner which ruined some of the magic).  But there was a Black Friday special and we had awesome seats (the woman next to me was mad that we paid literally half her price, muhahaha, Scrooge alert!).  But wow, what seats!

The show felt more magical and more moving than last time (I was a blubbery mess by the end).  It was awesome to see that the entire set was crooked (a great, disconcerting effect).  And to really see the sets come forward and the spirit of Christmas future as soon as he came out, those were very cool moments.  T. asked if we can sit in the front row next year.

It was also interesting to see who was different in the cast this year.  I recognized a few returning members–James Ludwig is awesome as Fred, Scrooge (Graeme Malcolm) was the same (and was awesome–I loved the way he did little things, like kick a rug into place, which were “accidents” but were totally in character).  And there were clearly some new faces and new actors.   You can see the whole cast at the McCarter site.

And I just read (in New Jersey Stage) that apparently many in the cast are quite well known:

Boasting a gigantic list of Broadway, regional and international credits, the cast of A Christmas Carol includes Leah Anderson, Allison Buck, Billy Finn, Kathy Fitzgerald, Nike Kadri, David Kenner, January LaVoy, James Ludwig, Bradley Mott, Anne O’Sullivan, Sari Alexander, Gabriel Bernal, Andrew Clark, Jean G. Floradin, Heather Gault, Michael John Hughes, Sophie Lee Morris, Gregory Omar Osborne, Patrick Roberts, Daniella Tamasi, and Arielle Taylor.

I just re-read what I had written two years ago and found that I felt exactly the same.  So for the rest of the post I am going to keep everything the same (with a few updates).

It’s like a Christmas tradition.

I must say I was charmed immediately–as soon as the kids ran out on stage in period costume, singing songs and being very Christmassy, I was hooked.

We have seen a number of varied performances at various theaters–and while many had movable sets, the sets were usually moved by the actors.  In this one, the sets moved as if by magic.  Entire buildings trundled forth from the back, doors and trellises lowered from the ceiling and special effects were aplenty.  It was amazing. And yet, at the same time, the magic in no way detracted from the story.

As I said, I know the story, but I didn’t know it exactly, so there were a number of scenes that seemed new to me that I wasn’t sure if they were in the story or not [UPDATE: these are not, I re-read the story: the way Scrooge meets his love, the music box, and most peculiarly, like the fact the Tiny Tim doesn’t end the story with “God Bless Us, everyone”].

But those little changes really seemed to make the play that much more powerful–there are things that really couldn’t be conveyed on stage and the additions more than made up for the minor changes to the story.  Indeed, for contemporary (young) audiences, the explanation of why young Scrooge couldn’t go home with his sister is a little clearer than in the story and that music box is an excellent symbol that works perfectly onstage.

Some other changes (after doing some minor research) included changing the charity seekers to a pair of harmonious (and hilarious) women and changing the ghosts from men to three young girls (the ghosts of Christmas past) and a woman (the ghost of Christmas present).  While the original ghosts are kind of creepy and stodgy (in my memory), these ghosts are fun and mischievous–they lighten scenes that are certainly heavy enough (the mischievous young girls were wonderful, and the woman was just so much fun–and sprinkled so much magic dust around that my kids delighted in picking it up afterward).  I think that perhaps the only thing they could do to help audiences (especially younger ones) is to explain just how much a shilling was worth back then.  The whole monetary system of 19th century England is a major mystery.

Another wonderfully light moment came from the dance.  Fezziwig (my favorite character) throws a party and it is a delightful dance sequence.  It is fun and a joy to watch.  The actors [UPDATE: Fezziwig and his wife were new actors this year (Bradley Mott and Kathy Fitzgerald) and they were wonderfully over the top] moved wildly and fluidly and the steps that the did were such a treat–they made me wish we still did dances like that today.  I also loved the way they had a young Scrooge meet his love at the dance–the way the dance moved around in circles until they met in the center, it was beautiful.

Indeed, the whole Fezziwig family was an amazing splash of comic relief–they were loud and boisterous and very fun (and I coveted Fezziwig’s jacket).  There were a few splashes of comic relief which were really wonderful and helped to balance out the seriousness.

But what of the magic?  The first scary moment comes early and is so surprising that my kids were genuinely scared (and Sarah and I were genuinely surprised).  Then when the ghosts start appearing (check out Marley at the right) and books float up from nowhere and clothes fly around and walking sticks float in the air, it is truly spectacular.  But the biggest surprises come at the end of Act I and the beginning of Act II (I’m not giving either away), just say that they used the stage to its fullest and the kids could not stop talking about it.

Michael Unger directed, Graeme Malcolm played Scrooge again (and was awesome again).  Indeed, all of the children (especially “goose boy”) were wonderful–screaming at the site of Scrooge, dancing appropriately, and even affecting wonderful accents.

Both of my kids enjoyed the show immensely and even “got” the message.  And I think they were just blown away by the spectacle.