Curtain Going Up - A Christmas Carol

CURTAIN GOING UP
Theatre Reviews



 A CHRISTMAS CAROL


NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 28


ACT THEATRE  

I have made seeing ACT's annual play of Charles Dickens' time-honored tale a holiday tradition for the past nine years. This year, the production takes a new direction (pun intended) courtesy of Kelly Kitchens, former artistic co-director of Seattle Public Theatre. 

Many familiar actors reprise their roles, such as David Pichette alternating with Peter Crook as Scrooge, Sunam Ellis as Mrs. Cratchit, Connor Neddersen as Young Adult Scrooge and Christmas Yet To Come, Jim Gall as Christmas Present, and Anne Allgood as Mrs. Fezziwig and Mrs. Dilber. 

Among the new castmembers there is a larger amount than usual of ethnically diverse or "color-blind" casting, such as black actors portraying Bob Cratchit (Reggie Jackson) and his eldest daughter Martha (Myonnah Chesterfield), and Fred (Arlando Smith) and his wife (Ayo Tushinde, who plays Belle in the past), a Latinx Belinda Cratchit (Eva Lopez, seen in the past as Scrooge's late sister Fan), and an Asian Turkey Boy (Ty Ho). Also a bit of gender-blind casting with Jacob Marley and Old Joe being breeches/pants roles performed by Amy Thone, understudied by Kate Wisniewski in the performance I saw, although her voice was a tad too feminine for the characters. 

Both the new and returning cast-members displayed new interpretations of many characters; e.g. the beggar in the opening scene (R. Hamilton Wright, who also plays Fezziwig in the past) lays down to rest on Scrooge's doorstep before being shooed off (an ode to the ongoing homelessness crisis), and Christmas Past (Alexandra Tavares, a co-founder of The Seagull Project) makes a more intimate entrance, snuggling up to Scrooge and striking a pose on his bed, and later dances with the ensemble during Fezziwig's ball. 

If you've seen it before, have another go at it. If you're new to ACT and the show, it is a must-see for the holidays.   

 - Peter Wolfram

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