“A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation from a “covetous old sinner” to someone determined to keep the spirit of Christmas charity alive in his heart the year round, has often been subject to all kinds of excesses in the efforts to transpose this story from page to stage.
Dickens himself would wring all the humor and pathos he could from the story when he performed an edited version of it during the reading tours that took him through much of the English-speaking world.
Tulsa’s American Theatre Company has been presenting its original musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” for almost half a century, and it has not shied away from going over the top with its presentation of this classic story, adapted by ATC founding members Bob Odle and Rick Averill.
But the company’s latest iteration takes a more restrained tone, judging from the performance we saw Dec. 6 at Tulsa PAC.
While all the supernatural elements one expects in this story remain — the visits of the four ghosts, and their efforts to make Scrooge reconsider his life choices by showing him bits of his past, present and potential future — the sense one gets is that this is a “Christmas Carol” that aims to be more grounded in reality.
Karl Krause, who has become synonymous with the Tulsa stage production from his years of portraying Ebenezer Scrooge, can always be counted on to bring some new element to his portrayal. This year, his Scrooge is someone who is quite aware of his own mortality, who knows that his time on earth is running out.
You see it in the several times that Scrooge, in a moment of shock or distress, clutches his chest as if to quell a spasm of pain. And you hear it in the plaintive way he delivers the line to the Ghost of Christmas Past about being mortal and liable to fall. It sounds like less of an excuse to avoid confronting the past and more of an acknowledgement of a real, present-day fear, one shared by many people of a certain age (myself included).
Even the ghosts themselves are less flamboyant in their interactions with Scrooge than we’ve seen in Christmases past. Liz Brillhart returns as the Ghost of Christmas Past and delivers one of the best versions of “Let’s Go Back to Yesterday” that I’ve heard.
Sean Rooney, who directed this year’s production with assistance from Troy Austin Cope, reins in the exuberance of his Ghost of Christmas Present, who emphasized the fact that even the simplest act of kindness in a harsh world can seem to be almost miraculous.
As the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Bill Hader Sr. more or less sleepwalked through his part. Only his electronically altered voice provided any sense of menace or pity Marley should engender (Aaron Veale oversaw the show’s complex and evocative sound design).
Nick Bushta returns as Bob Cratchit, making him a more dour figure — one who struggles not just with providing for his family but also with most of the notes in the song, “All in a Hard Day’s Work.”
Conversely, Cratchit’s brood of seven often capered about as the youngsters they are, including Tiny Tim (Rowan Butler), whose optimistic spirit was undimmed by physical want or pain.
Josiah Felkins and Indigo Kifer were a believably bickering couple as the young Scrooge and his fiancée Belle, while Alison Porcelli and Aniya Ordonez cavorted through “What’s a Body to Do,” making the most of a song that probably should have been scrapped years ago.
Christy Stalcup served as the show’s musical director, with Brooke Lambie responsible for the choreography.
“A Christmas Carol” continues with performances through Dec. 23 at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. 2nd St. For tickets, call 918-596-7111 or visit tulsapac.com.
James Watts is a freelance contributor to the Tulsa Flyer.
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