Review – A Christmas Carol
Grand’s Carol puts new shine on classic tale
By KATHY RUMLESKI
London Free Press
In the theatre of time, A Christmas Carol is a classic.
The Grand Theatre’s production fills this well-known tale with new life and humanity.
Director Susan Ferley is careful to capture and retain the sentimentality we have for this story. Nostalgia and tradition are important during the season and Ferley plays them up while allowing her cast and crew to put a new shine on the old.
She wisely brought some of the cast home: Mark Uhre (Fred/young Scrooge), Ben Sanders (Peter Cratchit/undertaker) and Callandra Dendias (Fan/Martha Cratchit) are all from London and area and have gone on to successful acting careers.
Their homecoming lends to the atmosphere of old friends gathering for Christmas festivities and sharing memories.
The trio complements the grouchy, fragile Scrooge, played by Michael Rawley. His masterful presentation is an important part of the resounding success on stage.
His pre-ghost Scrooge is so nasty and uncaring, this reviewer wonders what Scrooge endured to produce such a heartless monster.
When the spirit of Christmas Past shows him a younger self, interacting with his sister, we learn there were hardships in his young life.
“Father is so much kinder than he used to be,” she tells Scrooge, who no doubt missed an opportunity to reconnect.
When he reforms, Scrooge’s exuberance warms our hearts.
Also lending to the success of the show is the harmonious and functional set by Bill Layton. We are whisked between the stingy office of Marley and Scrooge and the cheery home of the Cratchits with an ease of turn.
It not only helps the characters transition quickly from one scene to another, but it aids our suspended disbelief in time travel.
How does Spirit Future travel across the stage in a split second?
How does the chain-bound Marley get to his spot without a whisper of a sound? A moaning, suffering Ancient Mariner-like Marley expands before our eyes, and those eyes get bigger and bigger with each growth spurt.
He’s truly larger than life, which helps convey that these spirits travel between lives and end up in the eternity they deserve.
Dry ice and layered voices create the haunting atmosphere.
The only problem I found with voices was the lack of harmony among carolers.
Still, we leave the theatre with a firm commitment to reconnect with one another this holiday season and beyond and to assist those less fortunate, especially children (with the thought of Tiny Tim on our minds).
IF YOU GO
What: A Christmas Carol, adapted by Jeff Pitcher, based on the book by Charles Dickens.
When: Till Dec. 24
Where: Grand Theatre, 471 Richmond St.
Tickets: $20 to $60, at the theatre box office, by calling 519-672-8800 or visit www.grandtheatre.com
Rating: 4 (out of five)
