‘Tis the Season: A Christmas Carol Opens at Northern Stage
Be generous with your money, your time, your spirit, before it’s too late. Or you’ll end up like Ebenezer Scrooge, whose own world is bleak, devoid of compassion and filled with ill-informed, crotchety judgment. Those struggling—like the Cratchits—are rich at least in human connection. Scrooge has none. His is the most impoverished life on the stage.
Tough stuff in the midst of this season of twinkling lights and goodwill toward humankind, but the author Charles Dickens intended it to be just that—a rebuke of the moneyed class and of the punitive social policies of his time. According to dramaturg Sarah Grace Williams, “Selfish, cruel, and uncaring for the welfare of others, Scrooge is the exact opposite of the Christmas spirit.”
Not for long, though. Through the ministrations of the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, Scrooge gets the comeuppance that the audience hopes for, and more importantly, a redemption that the audience adores. It is, after all, A Christmas Carol, recently opened at Northern Stage.
Whether it’s your first exposure or your dozenth to this seasonal classic, this production is well worth seeing. Given the state of the world, nothing is so satisfying as to see a bad guy learn the error of his ways. Jamie Horton moves through the character’s arc with convincing portrayals of the irascible, isolated Scrooge and ultimately of a more benevolent and connected one. At last Sunday’s matinee, the long-deceased partner, Jacob Marley, was portrayed not by the scheduled cast member Gordon Clapp, but by Carol Dunne (NS’s Producing Artistic Director and director of A Christmas Carol). Kudos to Ms. Dunne who positively roared as a terrifying Marley (script in hand, presumably because she subbed in on short notice, testament to the truth of “the show must go on”), and to costume designer Allison Crutchfield. Marley’s chains appeared to be absolutely immobilizing as he arises from the dead to loll in Scrooge’s fireside chair.
Consistent with past annual holiday productions, Northern Stage once again showcases solid performances from an extensive and doubled cast of young actors (alternating Team Red and Team Green) portraying diverse roles including, of course, the iconic Tiny Tim. Dunne’s reimagined production incorporates lively music and dance, well executed on a multi-level set by Scenic Designer David L. Arsenault with lighting by Lighting Designer Amina Alexander.
You’ve seen it before, though not quite like this. See it again. ‘Tis the season of welcoming light into the darkness, along with a fragile hope for redemption.
A Christmas Carol runs through December 31, 2023 at the Barrette Center in White River Junction, Vermont. Tickets are available here.
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.