newportbeachindy . com DECEMBER 9 , 2022 5
STEPPING OUT
Realism a Hallmark of South Coast Repertory ’ s Lavish ‘ A Christmas Carol ’
Jennifer Parsons and Richard Doyle in “ A Christmas Carol .” Photo by Jenny Graham / SCR .
By Eric Marchese | Special to the NB Indy
South Coast Repertory ’ s annual staging of “ A Christmas Carol ” that runs through December 24 is , in Orange County , the definition of a holiday classic .
Only two actors – founding members Hal Landon , Jr ., and Richard Doyle – have portrayed Scrooge , and countless other players have rotated in and out of the many remaining roles .
Music is a vital element of Jerry Patch ’ s tight , two-hour adaptation , and SCR ’ s version avoids the pitfall of portraying Dickens ’ characters as one-dimensional . Patch ’ s script and director Hisa Takakuwa ’ s staging of it set the table . The superb cast then does the rest .
Setting the stage is a bustling London street scene that showcases nearly the entire cast . Scrooge , we ’ re told , is “ a miser ’ s miser ” known far and wide for his tightfisted stinginess and heartless ways .
We first see Scrooge ( Doyle ) at his moneylending office on Christmas Eve . Scrooge browbeats hapless clerk Bob Cratchit ( Preston Maybank ) and is visited by nephew Fred ( Larry Bates ), who invites him to Christmas dinner .
Scrooge chases away not just Fred , but also a caroling “ ragamuffin ” and two do-gooders ( William Francis McGuire and Melody Butiu ) seeking charitable donations to help the needy during the holidays .
In the early going , Doyle is plenty grumpy and every inch the curmudgeon . Even while knowing the story ’ s outcome and Scrooge ’ s drastic change of heart , we laugh at his expense , chuckling over how much his misanthropy is at odds with everyone around him .
Scrooge ’ s bedchamber , the story ’ s setting from the opening scenes on , is aptly gloomy . That effect is heightened by Drew Dalzell ’ s ghastly sound effects , which pave the way for the appearance of Marley ’ s Ghost .
Michael Manuel is wonderfully subdued in that role , making the character among the evening ’ s most memorable . The somber , nononsense spirit relates his woeful state to Scrooge without a trace of self-pity in his voice . That , of course , makes his plight all the more horrifying and pitiable .
It must be noted that SCR ’ s production is far less grim than the source novella , Patch judiciously planting pithy one-liners throughout and taking care to provide generous doses of humor to balance dark , more grim elements that might overpower younger viewers .
Jennifer Parsons ’ Spirit of Christmas Past , who tells Scrooge she has “ come to reawaken your humanity ,” is a prime example of how the spirits offer Scrooge no emotional quarter . Patch ’ s text shows her as especially canny in the way she uses reverse psychology to cause Scrooge to begin to see the many errors of his ways .
As it is each year , this is a peerless production whose hallmark is lavish professionalism . Dwight Richard Odle ’ s costumes and Thomas Buderwitz ’ s scenic design are top-flight , and Donna and Tom Ruzika ’ s lighting designs create subtle emotional gradations .
Dalzell ’ s eerily effective sound design , which surrounds us with spectral echoes at crucial moments in the action , is a key element that elevates SCR ’ s staging . The production runs the emotional gamut from joy and elation to blind indifference to desolation . How can your heart
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