A Christmas Carol at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey – A Review
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) enjoys a reputation of producing outstanding shows during the holiday season. This year brings another offering to that fine reputation with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This is one of the best productions you will see of old Scrooge’s journey from being a miser of a man into one who knows how to keep Christmas well.
Paul Mullins directs this production which includes many touches that add both interest and fun to the story. Add to that a well written script from Neil Bartlett delivered by a superb cast as well as excellent staging, lighting, sound, and costumes and you get a play that you will long remember.
A Time Honored Classic Story
England’s great writer Charles Dickens wrote the text of “A Christmas Carol.” It was published on December 19, 1843. According to information found on arts.gov, it was written in in just six weeks, under financial pressure. It has been reported that Dickens wrote the story while taking hours-long nighttime walks around London. No doubt, those evening walks helped to set the mood of the tale.
The characters in A Christmas Carol all revolve around the actions of one man: Ebeneezer Scrooge. He’s very tight with his wealth of money and not a joy to be around. He scrimps on supplying the coal needed for heat in his office, and his workers are always cold during the winter. He begrudges having to give them off on Christmas Day. Included in this group of three is the kind man Bob Cratchit, played with distinction by Andy Paterson.
Anthony Marble plays the role of Scrooge. He delivers a performance that captures the essence of a man who has neglected his own personal life in order to be successful. He is cold-hearted and not interested in warming up to people. However, that all changes after he meets the three ghosts on Christmas Eve led by his deceased business partner Jacob Marley.
The arrivals of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future all bring out incidents related directly to Scrooge. There are some very fine staging effects used as each arrive. For example, the Ghost of Christmas Past appears to come up from the floor through the bed. And the arrival of the ghost of Christmas Future brings a very tall frightening figure to the stage.
Scrooge’s Transformation
If you know the story, you will recall when Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, he is very thankful that he has survived. He becomes a changed man. He goes out to visit his nephew and his wife and spends Christmas with them. The next day at the office, he gives Bob Cratchit a raise. Scrooge learns about the health of Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim, and his time with the ghosts convinces him he has to help. And he also starts to donate money to causes that he had turned away before.
The play ends, assuring those listening that Scrooge became a man who honored Christmas from that day forward.
The Multi-role Playing Cast
Helping to get to that wonderful ending, is an outstanding cast. With the exception of Anthony Marble who plays Scrooge, the other seven actors play one role listed in the program but then have et al next to their names. This means they play more than one role in the play. In the After Talk held last week, they disclosed that there are some quick costume changes that take place backstage in order to cover all parts. Yet they look delightfully prepared for their parts.
Ghost of Christmas Present, et al – Jeffery M. Bender
Ghost of Christmas Past, et al – Emily S. Chang
Marley, et al – Celeste Ciulla
Mrs. Cratchit, et al – Gina Lamparella
Fred, et al – Ty Lane
Bob Cratchit – et al – Andy Paterson
Belle – et al – Fiona Robberson
Clever Stage Techniques
A Christmas Carol can be a rather dark play. But here at the STNJ, there are numerous stage techniques incorporated into the play to overcome that darkness.
For example, there is a light on a table close to where Scrooge is at. Every time it goes on, an actor is seen holding it and he gives out a singing type sound.
One of the favorites of the night is in the opening scene when Scrooge and his employees are seen in the office. Every time the door opens, one actor throws snow in through the door opening. Yes, it does represent a snow storm outside but it got everyone laughing in the audience.
There are many other clever stage techniques that audiences can enjoy in this play.
To Go to the Show
To learn more about A Christmas Carol or to buy tickets, visit the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey website at this location.
The show is running now through December 29, 2024.
A Christmas Carol runs a little over 2 hours with one 15 intermission.