I have a long-standing tradition of seeing HCT's production of A Christmas Carol every year (I like to joke that I have seen it so many times I could probably stand in for any role) and I had the chance to see it again last night. I love the well-known story by Charles Dickens of Ebeneezer Scrooge's reclamation by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future and I think Hale's adaptation is absolutely beautiful. This year the cast includes many actors that I have never seen before (which is unusual because many actors return to the same roles year after year) and I particularly enjoyed Stephen Kerr as Scrooge, Ben Oldroyd as Bob Cratchit, Spencer Jackson Hohl as Fred, Jared Lesa as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Patrick Despain as Tiny Tim. I loved Kerr's cantankerous and grouchy characterization of Scrooge and the subtle changes in his demeanor as he encounters each ghost and internalizes the lessons they teach him are incredibly effective. His interactions with Oldroyd during the final scene are so tender they brought a tear to my eye. Hohl is the perfect counterpoint to Kerr because he imbues Fred with a lot of cheerfulness and charm. I also really enjoyed Lesa's characterization because he is very merry as the embodiment of Christmas but he is also quite harsh with Scrooge. Despain is absolutely endearing and I loved his delivery of the iconic line at the end of the show. One aspect of Hale's production that I really love is the use of music in between scenes by an octet (Mindi Hansen, Samantha Paredes, Jessica Pearce, Emily Roh, Ryan Withers, Barton Sloan, Bryan Johnson, and Taylor Smith) and in certain party scenes by the characters. My favorite song is, of course, "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" which is sung during the Fezziwig's party. The elaborate Victorian sets are incredibly immersive (the projections are fantastic) and I particularly love Scrooge's bedroom (the wallpaper is amazing), Fezziwig's warehouse, and the rag and bottle shop. I usually sit on the extreme right side of the theater so I often miss out on some of the special effects but last night I sat on the front row in the center section so I was quite enchanted when Jacob Marley (Matt Kohler) comes through Scrooge's fireplace to visit him and when the Ghost of Christmas Future (Ren Cottam), who is quite scary, reveals Scrooge's name on the tombstone. I keep returning to see this show year after year because it fills me with so much cheer and I always leave the theater vowing to keep Christmas all year long. Unfortunately, every performance during the run is sold out but HCT has been known to add shows so keep checking the website (go here) for tickets.
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