Christmas Carol at the Garfield Center of the Arts
The cast of Tiny Tim's Christmas Carol at the Garfield Eye 2018 – Photograph by Peter Heck
The holiday season wouldn't be complete without Charles Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim – one of the classic Christmas stories. This year, the Garfield Center is offering an adaption of the tale for young audiences, "Tiny Tim'south Christmas Carol," and for practiced measure, the show'due south second week coincides with Chestertown'south "Dickens of a Christmas" festival.
The story is set up in London in 1834, a decade before the story was first published. Tiny Tim Cratchit, whose father works for the miser Scrooge, is trying to find a way to get his male parent a day off for Christmas. Simply Scrooge, who sneers at annihilation that doesn't contribute to his bottom line, tells Crachett to be at piece of work at nine o'clock sharp on Christmas day – at that place's money to exist made, and that'southward an end to it. Desperate, Tim and his young friend Charlotte enlist several street vendors to impersonate ghosts to scare Scrooge into recognizing the spirit of Christmas and giving his employee the holiday off. As the play continues, nosotros watch the program unfold – and just at the critical moment, a real Christmas phenomenon takes place.
Jim Landskroener as Scrooge – Photo past Peter Heck
Director Bonnie Hill has brought together a good cross-section of local interim talent, including several younger actors, for this production. Garfield veteran (and board member) Jim Landskroener – concluding seen as Groucho Marx in "Brute Crackers" – has the prize role of Scrooge, and Dickens would be proud of his portrayal. Whether he is rejecting a request for charitable contributions for the poor — "Are there no prisons? Are at that place no workhouses?" — or cowering earlier the ghosts called up to reform the miser's ways, Landskroener is spot-on.
Tiny Tim and Charlotte devise a plan to make Scrooge give Bob Cratchit a solar day off for Christmas – Photo by Peter Heck
John Crook plays Tiny Tim, who too acts as the narrator of the play, while Raven Miller takes the function of Charlotte, Tim'due south young friend. They are on-phase pretty much the entire time, and they make the most of their stage time, whether they're in the middle of the action or hiding just outside Scrooge's view while their plans are going frontward. They likewise serve as intermediaries for younger audition members, giving them an understandable claw to involve them in the main activeness of converting Scrooge from a holiday-antisocial miser to a participant in the spirit of the flavour. Both practice excellent jobs.
The three vendors are played by Jane Jewell, David Ryan and Bryan Zajchowski – each of whom takes on several additional roles within the play. Jewell, whose last local appearance was in the function of Aunt Rhoda in Earl Lewin'south "Hitched," is bandage equally a puppet vendor, the Ghost of Christmas Past and Tiny Tim's mother, Mrs. Cratchit. Ryan is a pie-seller, Scrooge'southward onetime employer Fezziwig, and the ghosts of Marley and Christmas Present. And Zajchowski plays a bookseller, Mrs. Fezziwig, andTiny Tim's father, Bob Cratchit. All handle the multiple roles well, and their costume changes are done smoothly enough that the play doesn't ho-hum downwardly. Zajchowski is specially funny when he portrays the cheerful Mrs. Fezziwig with a high, squeaky phonation and dancing in a red evening dress. Good jobs by three versatile character actors.
Robbie Spray does a good job in several minor roles, including Scrooge's nephew Fred, a gravedigger, and Mr. Stevens, a gentleman who solicits Scrooge for a charitable donation. He likewise ghosts the voice of Christmas Time to come, played onstage by a life-sized flight puppet manipulated past Steve Atkinson. Atkinson also has multiple responsibilities equally stage managing director and playing a small function equally Mr. Hollyfoot, a gentleman who collaborates with Mr. Stevens in collecting for charity and is appalled past Scrooge'due south callousness and complete lack of Christmas spirit or any sympathy for the poor and underprivileged.
The three street vendors: David Ryan as the pie-seller, Bryan Zajchowski as the book-seller, and Jane Jewell as the puppet-seller – Photo by Peter Heck
Alden Swanson plays a young daughter and a Christmas turkey. Caleb Ford takes the part of the young boy who tells Scrooge it's Christmas morning and runs to get and deliver the turkey. Swanson and Ford joinKathy Jones, Cornelia Fallon, and Michelle Genovese as Christmas carolers, assisted by the rest of the cast at several points. The songs are traditional Christmas favorites of the era including "God Balance Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "The Holly and the Ivy" – information technology'southward nice to hear something also today'due south commercial seasonal fare. Julie Lawrence is musical manager.
The costumes are catamenia-appropriate and very center-catching also. Kudos to costume chair Juanita Wieczorek and her crew Connie Fallon, Tina Johnson, and Jen Emley. Several of the costumes, including the four gentlemen's frock coats and most of the carolers' outfits, were hand-made for this product by Connie Fallon and other costume committee members. They volition as well exist used in the Dickens Weekend activities. The set gives the feeling of the era while being flexible enough to allow reasonably quick scene changes. Earl Lewin designed and Beverly Smith painted the sets. Jennifer Kafka Smith fabricated the wonderful Victorian-menses puppets.
Scrooge, played by Jim Landskroener, is awakened by the Ghost of Christmas Present (David Ryan) – Photo by Peter Heck
The play as a whole takes just under an hour, and so it's unlikely to strain the patience of young theater-goers, who are pretty much the natural audience for this adaptation of Dickens' tale. And while this version of Dickens' novella has been adjusted and streamlined for younger viewers, in that location'southward plenty left of the original text, particularly in Scrooge's lines, to serve as an effective introduction to the story for those younger audince members. Scrooge still says "If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population" and "Bah, braggadocio".
This production is definitely a play for the whole family – it might be a good idea to come the first weekend, earlier the Dickens festival brings in the large out-of-boondocks audience.
Scrooge (Jim Landskroener) in his nightgown is thrilled to be told by a boy (Caleb Ford) that it is still Christmas day – Photo by Peter Heck
"Tiny Tim'south Christmas Carol" runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9, with performances at 8 p.thousand. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.k. Sundays. General admission is $20. Tickets for seniors and military personnel are $15, and tickets for students are $x. Get a special $5 off on opening night if you wear your Garfield Center t-shirt! Telephone call the Garfield box office at 410-810-2060 or visit Eventbrite to reserve tickets.
The puppet-seller (Jane Jewell), disguised as the Ghost of Christmas Past, arrives to scare Scrooge (Jim Landskroener). – Photo by Peter Heck
John Crook as Tiny Tim – Photo by Peter Heck
David Ryan as the pie-seller – Photograph past Peter Heck
A gravedigger (Robbie Spray) gives Scrooge a glimpse of what lies ahead – Photo by Peter Heck
The Cratchit family unit dinner: Mrs. Cratchit (Jane Jewell), Emily (Raven Miller), Mr. Cratchit (Bryan Zajchowski), Tiny Tim (John Cheat) – Photo by Peter Heck
Source: https://chestertownspy.org/2018/11/29/tiny-tims-christmas-carol-a-holiday-delight-at-garfield-center/
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