[NEohioPAL] REVIEW: Musical "A Christmas Carol" at Canton Players Guild

[Tom Wachunas]

 Humbuggery and Grace
By Tom Wachunas
    “Come in! Come in,
and know me better, man!”  -The Spirit of
Christmas Present, from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (1843) – 
    This year marks
the 30th anniversary production of “A Christmas Carol” by the
Players Guild Theatre in Canton. Promoted as having enhanced special effects
and music (this is the version with music by Steve Parsons and lyrics by Steve
Popa, originated in 1997), I nonetheless considered bypassing the event.
     I saw the show last year and raved about it. Lately,
though, I’ve felt a dampening of the proverbial ‘Christmas spirit’, further
jaded by the encroachment of newer national “traditions” such as Thanksgiving
night camp-outs at retail stores in a growing readiness to greet the Spirit of
Christmas Consuming. And the straw that broke the reindeer’s back, as it were,
was the report of a bragging California woman who pepper-sprayed fellow
customers in a mad fit of “competitive shopping.” Black Friday to be sure.
Scrooges’ searing opinion of society’s dispossessed – “Are there no prisons?”
-  has yet a new application. Humbug to
you all, I said. I fart in your general direction.
    Fortunately I
repented of such extreme cynicism – surely a Scrooge moment - and came to my
senses long enough to revisit one of literature’s most treasured Christmas
narratives, lovingly retold here by a 32-member cast under the joint direction
of Joshua Erichsen and composer Steve Parsons (with assistance from Jeremy P.
Lewis). The instrumental music alone, provided by an impeccably polished
11-piece orchestra, is robust and scintillating, able to lift even the
Scroogiest heart. There’s a distinctly fresh luster, too, in the charming,
energetic choreography by Michael Lawrence Akers.
     Joshua Erichsen’s scenic design -  with its thrilling fly effects, meticulously
sculpted sets of 18th century architectural facades that swivel to
reveal period interiors, and clever use of a trap door in the stage floor –
brings remarkable dimensionality to the proceedings. But the real magic here is
to be found in the songs, the singing, and the characters’ lively performances
delivered by an inspired cast of truly professional quality.
    Walter Shepherd is a warm and earnest Bob
Cratchit, and his song, “A Child Alone,”   with Zachary Charlick – delightfully authentic as Tiny Tim – is one of
the evening’s most tender moments. Heartrending, too, is Amanda Medley in her
role of Scrooge’s erstwhile love, Belle, who brings her sweetly riveting vocal
finesse to the soaring ballad, “I Have to Know.” Also soaring, literally and
otherwise, is Kelley Edington as the Ghost of Christmas Past as she flies and sings
the ethereal “Wandering” with an incredulous-looking Scrooge in tow. And Justin
Edenhofer is genuinely convivial as Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, while equally
strong in his dual role of the young workaholic Ebenezer, particularly as he
sings “Ten Minutes More.”
     It’s pleasantly surprising to see a woman cast
as the Ghost of Christmas Present. To that role, Eva Roberson brings a pure,
passionate urgency tempered by child-like innocence. And speaking of children,
young McKenzie Mack’s solo work in “Rogue’s Song (Shine a Light on Me)” is
startlingly powerful.
    The evening has
several memorably funny and lighthearted scenes, among them the jaunty “Mister
Scrooge” early in Act One, performed with quasi- vaudevillian glee by The
Collecting Men trio of Austin Gantz, John Scavelli, and Andrew Knode. In Act
Two they join forces with Tom Bryant (who also played Jacob Marley’s Ghost),
Trisha Fites, and Linda Teis as a gang of scruffy grave robbers during the
raucous and irreverent romp, “We Build Ourselves Up.”   
    A veteran of many
Players Guild productions, the inimitable Don Jones reprises his role of
Scrooge this year with a notably renovated authority. In fact, whereas last
year some of his energy seemed at times under-developed (though not
detrimentally so), this time around he invests his character with a
substantially more vigorous animation and savory, credible pathos. When he’s
mean, we shudder at his vitriol; when he’s remorseful, he breaks our hearts; when
he’s redeemed, we’re giddy with elation right along with him. And did I mention
his seasoned confidence? On opening night, the set was agonizingly slow and
jerky as it rotated into Scrooge’s bedchamber encounter with Marley’s ghost. In
a brilliantly hilarious ad lib, Jones, teetering slightly, handled the
unscripted moment with endearing aplomb as he muttered, “Well, here’s an
adventure…we must be having an earthquake.”
    Adventure indeed,
Jones’ performance, along with that of the entire cast, is an invigorating
respite from the mundane, ever-growing absurdities and distractions that can
suck the meaning – the joy and the hope -  out of Christmas. Far from providing merely
escapist entertainment, though, the Players Guild’s continuing faithful
commitment to this classic story is a necessary and brave  tradition of holding up a much-needed light,
and an otherwise generous offering of artful grace in troubled times. 
    “A Christmas Carol
– the new musical” at Players Guild Theatre, located in the Cultural Center for
the Arts, 1001 Market Ave. North, in Canton. Shows through December 18 –
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $23
adults, $21 seniors 60+, $18 under 18, available through box office at (330)
453-7617, or at www.playersguildtheatre.com
   For other reviews
and commentaries by Tom Wachunas on the performing and visual arts, please
visit his blog, ARTWACH, at  www.artwach.blogspot.com  
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