By James V. Ruocco
With Christmas just around the corner, Fairfield Center Stage's immersive, interactive production of "A Christmas Carol" has been uncorked and unleashed in all its Dickensian glory at the most perfect time of the year.
Bold.
Imaginative.
Thrilling.
Bone-chilling.
Festive.
Colorful.
This incarnation of the Charles Dickens classic puts its audience up close and personal in a real period venue of spooky doorways and passageways, candlelit rooms, narrow staircases, festive parties, savory Christmas dinners and well-timed ghostly visits that taunt and haunt the way the master intended.
Here, you're completely surrounded by the entire "Christmas Carol" cast, all of whom are only inches away from you throughout the performance. Some make eye contact directly at you. Some are locked in the 19th century London setting from whence they came. Some appear out of nowhere. Some even take you by the hand, offer you a costume and ask you to partake in a merry dance or two, which you dare not refuse.
The overall experience: Simply magical.
But first, let's recap.
In the Charles Dickens novel, Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable old miser of considerable wealth and fortune finds himself hating almost everything that has to do with Christmas Day from gift giving and plum pudding to Christmas caroling, Christmas turkeys and family celebrations that pay homage to Father Christmas and all that contagious holiday cheer he absolutely loathes. He, of course, will have absolutely nothing to do with it.
"Christmas! A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December," he tells us.
Naturally, all of that is about to change.
On Christmas Eve, the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley comes calling in his bedroom chamber to warn him about his terribly wicked ways and unkind treatment of those around him. In short, if he refuses to change, he'll end up sad, lonely and unhappy in the afterlife just like Marley.
To set the record straight, the chained, unhappy ghostly demon, through unexplained means, invites the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future to pay Scrooge a visit hoping to elicit change by showing him moments from his life that could and will prompt his eventual downfall.
With "A Christmas Carol Experience," director Perry Liu invites us to step inside Burr Mansion, take the oft-told journey of "A Christmas Carol" and be prepared to be amazed and enthralled as the story unfolds in extreme, wide-angle close up. It's a novel conceit which Liu delivers in fresh, exciting ways of the highest caliber. In turn, this "Christmas Carol," replete with all its haunted and very wicked ways, gets under your skin and in your face, thus making the overall achievement all the more spooky, propulsive and impressive.
Staging "A Christmas Carol," Liu has mapped everything out most advantageously from scene to scene, step by step, floor by floor, room by room with all four ghostly apparitions acting as tour guide and orchestrator. One anxiously goes along for the ride, basking in Liu's inventive staging, which not only commands attention, but breathes new life into every familiar line of dialogue, characterization, sub plot and revelation.
It's a joy to watch in very close quarters that heighten the momentum, thus making the entire experience "inventive, must-see entertainment." Using the Burr Mansion as the main setting (Liu also did the play's set design) is a plus in itself as is the outside of the Old Fairfield Road location, which is used for the play's final scenes showcasing Ebenezer Scrooge's gravestone, his rebirth, and lastly, the big celebratory finish involving the entire cast. Again, smart staging and the use of spotlights and outdoor lighting, turns this finale of "A Christmas Carol Experience" into something very, very special.
Steve Benko plays the miserly Scrooge with plosive strength and cold-heartedness, without undermining his character's emotional scars and inner torment. He's cantankerous, condescending, miserable and bullying, just the way Dickens intended. Acting wise, he gets Scrooge. He understands Scrooge. He thinks and acts like Scrooge. He is Scrooge. He inhabits the role brilliantly and
infuses the part with apt temperament, heartbeat, curiosity and drive. He also brings a certain vulnerability to the part, which works especially well, particularly during the final half of "A Christmas Carol Experience."
As the chained, tormented and demonic Jacob Marley, Eric Dino is appropriately spooky, menacing and scary as he taunts Scrooge with his twisted pronouncements and declarations about doom, gloom, hardships, suffering and how his own selfish ways have led to his own punishment. Up close and personal, the actor is so in sync with Dickens' interpretation, he's the real deal, lock, stock, barrel, ball and chain.
As the Ghost of Christmas Present, Matt Casey brings a certain charm, frivolity and playfulness to the part, which makes his kindly visit to Scrooge vibrantly memorable. Sana "Prince" Sarr, in the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past, offers an emotionally rich and persuasive character turn played with convincing mystery, rapidity and power.
The supporting cast for "A Christmas Carol Experience" is in top form. They include Kelley Wright as Mrs. Dibler, William Squier as Bob Cratchit, Everton Ricketts as the Ghost of Christmas Future, Kevin Pelkey as Bonds, Virgil Watson as Stocks, Garth West as Fred, Sean Davis as Young Scrooge, Kellen Schult as Fezziwig, Lisa Dahlstrom as Mrs. Cratchit, Lindsay Johnson as Mrs. Fezziwig, Rebecca Pierpont as Miss Fezziwig, Kyra Culup as Lily, Amanda Brenner as Lily's Sister, Nathan Horne as Tiny Tim, Adelaide Meny as Belle and CJ Newsom as Ignorance. Everyone revels in the darkness, merriment and sentiment of this decidedly different, atmospheric interpretation adaptation with contagious enthusiasm, good cheer, emotional heft and audience-bracing elan.
As the ghostly apparitions who roam Burr Mansion as guide and "Christmas Carol" chorus, Emily Seanor, Kaylin Weller, Josh Cardozo and Genevieve Seanor, never break character once as they move the theatergoer from room to room in haunting, spookish fashion. All four look, act and behave in such true Dickensian fashion, their actual presence heightens the momentum of the story, particularly when they are asked to perform as a united ghostly chorus of one or make creepy sounds, noises and chants in typical "Christmas Carol" fashion.
"A Christmas Carol Experience" is joyous, ingenious, eerie and cynical. In Perry Liu's staging, both the actors and the theatergoers are privy to a new freshness and excitement that quickly erases the memory of so many other current productions. The extreme close up gimmick is both wondrous and well played. It surrounds and encompasses you with apt delight and curiosity. And when it's over, the marvel of it all lingers as does the sweet smell of apple cider, figgy Christmas pudding and oh yes, roasted chicken and mash, served up with a fun concept that becomes a rapturous night of great entertainment and theatre.
"A Christmas Carol Experience" is being presented by Fairfield Center Stage (Burr Mansion, 739 Old Post Rd., Fairfield, CT), now through December 23.
For more information, call (203) 416-6446 (voice mail only) and leave a message.
website: fairfieldcenterstage.org
No comments:
Post a Comment