Review Preview: "A Christmas Carol"

Got my leaves raked up just before the snow, saw a great show last night and got my review done before noon.

Life is good, and now I get to watch football all afternoon.

I hope that doesn't make anyone think less of me.

Here's the draft. Abstract: very good, very different without messing too much with a good thing. And I LOVED the lighting design. Keep your eyes open for that.

If you want to go:
What: “A Christmas Carol”
When: through Dec. 31
Where: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Drew University, Madison
How much: $28-$52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shakespearenj.org

By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The volume and variety of holiday shows in New Jersey are at record highs in 2007. But nowhere will you find a richer blend of traditional warmth and contemporary style than the imaginative impression of “A Christmas Carol” at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte’s sprightly handling of British playwright Neil Bartlett’s fresh adaptation somehow manages to be respectful to Dickens’ iconic Victorian prose while whisking the audience off on a trippy, Technicolor journey. The adapter and the director remain grounded thoughout the evening with inspiration from the author’s playful spirit.

The words you’ll hear are all Dickens, but many are singled out for their onomatopoeic value—“tick, tick, tick” is chanted small groups of actors imitating a clock; “scratch, scratch” is chanted by Bob Cratchit and the other clerks working on their ledgers. When the two chants are combined—“scratch scratch, tick, tick”—it’s understood that the clerks are counting the minutes until Christmas.

We also hear “scrunch, scrunch” as the nine-member ensemble, which plays more than 50 characters in Bartlett’s unusual staging, trudges through a fresh-fallen snow. When not playing specific characters, the ensemble frequently convenes for a capella songs sung with striking grace and harmony. They also harmonize as dramatic clock bells chiming the hours of arrival for the ghosts we all know are coming.

Only one actor stays in single character. Sherman Howard, one of the company’s most respected and popular leading men, is a magnificently spiteful Scrooge. Younger than many actors who play the original Grinch, Howard’s bitter-lemon scowl makes his character seem not quite elderly so much as old before his time. When he shoos the businessmen soliciting a seasonal donation for the poor, he does so with the malevolent energy of a man who thrives on misogyny.
Howard’s initial strength makes the terror of the humbling hauntings, and his joyous transformation, that much more profound. It’s a powerful performance, which he accomplishes without the scene-chewing that many Scrooges can’t help but succumb to.

The ensemble complements Howard’s focus with impressive versatility. You can start with praise of the delicate harmonies that alone are worth the price of admission (save some praise for music director Rick Knutsen). From there, you can single out the talents of the five men and three women. Ames Adamson contributes an array of colorful accents and is a dashing Ghost of Christmas Past. Greg Jackson, whose has had a busy year on this stage, dials down his comic edge to give us the sensitive Bob Cratchit and jolly Fezziwig we’ve come to love. Erin Partin puts a lot of body language into both male and female roles, while Steve Wilson is dashing in gentlemanly parts, including Freddy and a younger Ebenezer. Wilson is unrecognizable and considerably taller playing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, while David Andew MacDonald, who played Marc Antony here in “Julius Caesar,” is the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Tina Stafford handles the matronly roles, while Betsy Jilka sings sweetly as Martha. Young Seamus Mulchahy, a veteran of roles both here and at Paper Mill Playhouse, is a tall but earnest Tiny Tim. He’s also convincingly disabled: His braced leg never once touches the ground.

Equally valuable is the imaginative ensemble of technical contributors. James Wolk’s set of doors, windows and storefronts slide into position as set changes are orchestrated with seamless and silent precision. All the props are handled, frequently with humor, by the cast, which rips through a warehouse of authentic Victorian wardrobe from costume designer Karen Ledger.

Sound designer Richard M. Dionne ups the haunting quotient with chilling echoes and rattling chains. But top honors among the backstage artists goes to lighting designer Matthew E. Adelson, who might have taken some inspiration from the last Pink Floyd tour and gives this “Christmas Carol” an eerie visual edge that few of the many preceding can claim.

That’s quite a lot of people doing quite a lot of admirable work. Enjoy it while you can, because the show ends Dec. 31 and this marvelous company, which continues to be the crown jewel of performance art in Morris County, darkens its main stage until spring.