Five Great Reasons to See CTM’s A Christmas Carol This Year
Colleen Madden’s adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, is back, produced once again by Children’s Theater of Madison in the Capitol Theater at Overture Center. And if you haven’t seen it yet this year, it’s not too late! Tickets are still available for performances 7pm on Dec. 22 and at 1pm on Dec. 23.
Here are five great reasons to make A Christmas Carol part of your family celebration this year:
1. The Tradition. This is the first in-person show for CTM since March of 2020, when their production of Peter Pan was silenced in its final dress rehearsal due to COVID quarantine measures. Now the company is back onstage with its (nearly) annual community favorite, and with it comes all the familiar trimmings: families bundled up for the big outing, scurrying to find their seats in the beautiful Capitol Theater; the gorgeously decorated Christmas trees in the lobby; the little girls in velvet dresses and bows in their hair; the carolers in 19th century bonnets and capes singing familiar airs; the clock striking midnight; and the holiday miracle of Scrooge’s transformation. For many, seeing A Christmas Carol is a beloved family tradition; gathering together to introduce children to a classic holiday story and reminding adults of the wonder and pageantry of holidays past. It’s the spirit of the season made literal, right before your eyes, and it’s a pleasure to have it back in its place as a December ritual.
2. The Frame. Madden’s inventive interpretation of the Dickens parable, remains one of the best I’ve ever seen. It deepens key characters such as Belle (played with warmth by Samantha Newcomb) by retaining several scenes that are cut in other versions. It also gives the story an enthusiastic and magical narrator – Mr. C, perfectly embodied once again by Casey Hoekstra. The framing device effortlessly weaves the storyteller into scenes as a host of comical minor characters and a provider of commentary, as well as sound effects. When his character’s true identity is finally revealed to the audience, it’s a fulfilling answer to “what happened next?”
3. The Ghosts. This version of A Christmas Carol retains a lot of the creepiness of a good ghost story, both in characterizations and theatrical effects. The darkened stage swirls with fog. The ticking clock rings out ominously in the night. Dramatic lighting in vibrant greens and purples pierces the darkness to illuminate the larger-than-life, long-deceased Jacob Marley covered in chains, a specter that is too terrifying to be just a visual trick of Scrooge’s indigestion. Played with stone-faced intensity by Nathan Connor, Jacob is the undead coming with a dire warning of more ghostly visits for his old business partner. (Wonderfully flexible set design by Christopher R. Dunham, powerful lighting design by Jason Fassl, and effective sound design by Conrad St. Clair.)
As the Ghost of Christmas Past, Gracie Halverson is just as captivating. A stern guide for Scrooge who commands changes of scene with a wave of her arm, she looks like a magical Christmas ornament wrapped in gold. After being scolded about his past by the diminutive spirit, Scrooge is thoroughly entertained by the Ghost of Christmas Present, an ebullient Jennifer Vosters. She enters, perched playfully on a bewitched throne, and provides her own musical accompaniment throughout her visit, underscoring her message with her violin. Whisking Scrooge from his nephew Fred’s elegant Christmas dinner, to the humbler celebration at the Cratchits’ house, to a sky filled with starry lights of human kindness, Vosters is a delight.
4. The Merriment. Local performer, director, and choreographer Brian Cowing joined the directing team this year, helping out longtime Christmas Carol fixture James Ridge, and it’s easy to see where Cowing lent his expertise. A master of mirthful crowd scenes, playful dancing, and clever physical comedy, he orchestrated a cohesive and very merry party at the Fezziwigs with choreography that was challenging, well executed, and fun to watch. A smaller cast also meant he had more room onstage to work his magic.
5. The Miserly Mr. Scrooge. For actors of a certain age, playing Scrooge is almost a rite of passage, and there have been many varied and impressive interpretations of the brash old skinflint in CTM’s past productions. This year the top hat is passed to American Players Theatre favorite LaShawn Banks, whose precise diction and elevated accent exuded condescension on the lower classes and less fortunate at the show’s start. Neither a monster at the beginning of the story, nor a cartoonish convert at the end, Banks played Scrooge as a bitter cynic, a pessimist set in his ways and one who had given up on both happiness and the possibility for improvement. In light of this, it was his pleas to the silent, ominous Ghost of Christmas Future that were the most moving – begging for the chance to change. Scrooge’s breathless disbelief during the haunted night journey and his tentative efforts reach out to others the next day created a more realistic character than most, one that felt like the Scrooge we need now. The most heartwarming moment of the piece is Scrooge’s reconciliation with nephew Fred (a thoughtful and compassionate Ronald Román-Meléndez).
Is this production of A Christmas Carol perfect? No. At the matinee I attended pacing was a problem and at 2 ½ hours, including an intermission, the show felt very long. Costuming the cast in historically accurate, well-made clothing is a consistent problem for this production and even with a smaller ensemble than normal this year, there were some glaring missteps. A number of lines were also lost in the large theater space because mics weren’t turned on at the right times. Did these things ruin the afternoon? Far from it. Sitting next to my grown son in the theater, thinking of all our Christmases past, present, and future, it was a beautiful thing to share and applaud. We sang carols all the way home.