A Christmas Carol at Parker Theatre

Last night I attended my first of four productions of A Christmas Carol this holiday season at Parker Theatre. I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the reclamation of Ebeneezer Scrooge's soul by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future because it is such a beautiful story about keeping the spirit of Christmas in your heart all the year long. I really enjoyed seeing a new and different interpretation of this classic story last night. This version begins, rather unusually, with the death of Jacob Marley (Stephen Harmon) and I liked seeing his ghost haunt Scrooge (Mark Knowles) before he appears to him in his chambers because it is so ominous. There are some elaborate special effects used as he and the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Alina Smith), Present (Brinton Wilkins), and Future (Alina Smith) appear to Scrooge (the Ghost of Christmas Future is quite scary) and the lighting design is incredibly effective.  I especially liked the use of a scrim, fog, and atmospheric lighting as Scrooge sees memories from his past and the use of low lighting, shadows, and silhouettes as he is shown a frightening possible future. I liked seeing all of the characters that Scrooge interacts with at the beginning of the show, such as a caroler (Caroline Jensen), a poor woman (Jasmine Hohl) and her child (Oliver Hohl), and his nephew Fred (Tanner Tate), return at key moments as if appearing in a dream to soften Scrooge's heart. I loved the staging of the romance between a young Ebeneezer (Spencer Hohl) and Belle (Isabelle Purdie) because the dance conveys everything they are feeling without saying a word and it is in sharp contrast to the later scene between them when she releases him. I also liked the staging of the scene where Scrooge learns the truth in the cemetery because having him open the coffin to see who is inside is so dramatic (and very different from how I've seen this scene portrayed in other productions). Knowles gives one of the best performances of Scrooge that I've seen because there is such a huge difference between the bitter old miser at the beginning of the show and the lighthearted character he becomes at the end. You can actually see it in his facial expressions and body language as he learns the lessons taught by the spirits. I was especially moved by his interactions with Bob Cratchit (Lucas Charon) who thanks him for his generosity (this almost brought me to tears) and with Fred and his wife Rowena (Jasmine Hohl) as he entreats them to allow him into their lives after his transformation. The sets and costumes are much simpler than those of other productions I've seen but they are still very effective at bringing Victorian London to life (I loved all of the street lamps). I am so happy that I found Parker Theatre, not just for this show but every one I saw this year, and I will be sure to make this production a Christmas tradition from now on. It runs on Fridays and Saturdays through December 23 (go here for tickets).