What’s old is new again just in time for Christmas at Farmers Alley Theatre.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol may have been adapted so many times that every person you know has their own favorite version; and you may think there’s no need for any other iteration of this beloved tale. However, the play currently in production at Farmers Alley Theatre in Kalamazoo may convince you otherwise.
This play within a play still very much tells the 19th Century tale of miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge’s transformation from selfish, greedy swindler to generous lover of humanity overnight thanks to visitations from three Christmas spirits. But this adaptation comes from the creative mind of Patrick Barlow and takes a cue from his Broadway and West End hit “The 39 Steps” in that four actors play more than 20 roles while also creating music and sound effects, scene and set changes, and high hilarity without abandoning the heart, dramatic arc, and moral of this classic Victorian story that builds upon multiple holiday traditions.
For example, long-established British Christmas traditions include ghost stories as well as pantomimes, or “pantos”, family-friendly performances that features audience participation, slapstick, drag, and overall silliness. This version of A Christmas Carol capitalizes on both, wonderfully, and it’s the perfect Christmas treat at Farmers Alley with delightful performances and clever technical choices that effectively summon magic, all under savvy direction from Christopher Llewyn Ramirez.
What’s wonderfully old and recognizable here are the characters, the plot points, and the period. It’s just that Christopher Eastland plays both Bob Cratchit and Jacob Marley (among others), Nikki Yarnell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present, Kim Krane plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, and together they play the almsmen Scrooge unceremoniously dismisses as well as foley artists (among others); and William Anthony Sebastian Rose II plays the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge’s nephew, a clock, the fire, and Tiny Tim (among others).
Together with Mark Jaynes as an intriguingly complex Scrooge who’s funnier that you might imagine, they hustle to bring this story to life, moving it along scene by scene (shot through if not scored with, yes, Christmas carols sung a cappella as well as recorded cinematic music to aid transitions), creating a full stage over and over again with nary more than a false proscenium with a curtain that opens and closes, and a door frame, two tables, and two chairs they move about from place to place to create various spaces and places throughout time (with scenic design from Sam Snow).
Brocade vests and textured gowns among other period costumes from Kathryn Wagner, excellent props from Savannah Draper, sound design and music supervision from Carter Rice, and effective lighting design from Jason Frink are synchronized beautifully to do heavy lifting in this imaginative storytelling.
And with all of these elements working together splendidly the conditions are created for the players to really play. And that, more than anything, is what makes it worth seeing. It is an utter delight to watch them delight in the playfulness of this script, including some silly anachronisms: Scrooge’s predilection for “marketing”, his vista of “Dickensian London”, his insistence upon naming everyone (including women) “Sir” emphatically at the end of every sentence, a music riff on the Wizard of Oz, slapstick choreographed to bicycle horns and the clack of drumsticks, and laugh-out-loud funny puppetry (and yes, even the puppet plays several roles).
Yet amid the silliness there is also room for psychological drama that dives beneath sentiment; this telling offers a touching backstory for why Scrooge is incapable of giving or receiving love that inspires compassion—just in time for him to face his mortality.
What happens next is more emotional highs and lows, surprising high drama on another level. The shifts from light to dark and back again over and over are very effective.
We laugh, we cry, we’re angry, we’re afraid, but the upshot is we feel Scrooge’s redemption as if it is our own, ultimately laughing all the way, amid a small community—an audience—experiencing all the same emotions at the same time, our heartbeats in sync.
This Christmas Carol creates Christmas magic born of an age and traditions past. And though as live performance it can only truly exist in the present moment, it is sure to last in the hearts of those who experience it. What could be more magical than that?
A Christmas Carol
Farmers Alley Theatre
Nov. 21-Dec. 8
https://www.farmersalleytheatre.com/shows/a-christmas-carol
