Tom Klingele
Ebenezer Scrooge (David Daniel) gets a visit from the Spirit of Christmas Past (Laetitia Hollard).
A treasured holiday tradition is back. Children’s Theater of Madison opened its 32nd production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol in the Capitol Theater at Overture Center on Dec. 9. Like many seasonal traditions, it’s comforting to return to something treasured and familiar. But it’s also exciting when new twists are added, to keep the annual festivities fresh. That is exactly what audiences can expect from this year’s production, which runs through Dec. 23. There are some familiar faces and beautiful elements from show’s past, and some exciting variations on the Christmas standard.
Reprising their roles, American Players Theater core company member David Daniel once again dons the nightcap of the old miser Scrooge, and APT’s Casey Hoekstra plays the charming narrator. Both actors are simply brilliant. Daniel plays a Scrooge who is a willing participant in the character’s rehabilitation by the spirits, and a man who honestly doesn’t remember how his life took such a bleak turn. His violent reaction to Fred when his late sister is mentioned may be a clue to the moment his heart hardened. And Hoekstra is magical in a role that is unique to Colleen Madden’s clever, literary adaptation. Part stage manager, part storyteller, part extra in each scene, his Mr. C. guides the audience on its journey with Scrooge, making it even more theatrical and heartwarming in the end.
Director James Ridge is back too, carefully orchestrating the production instead of playing the head “humbug” (which he did for years). His deep affection for the story is clear as the show evolves and sharpens under his direction. Ninth grader Laetitia Holland is also taking another turn as the Spirit of Christmas Past, having played the role last season. This year she seems even more confident and playful in the part, swirling around the stage in many layers of tulle and gently mocking Scrooge as she instructs him.
Jason Fassl’s lighting design and Chris Dunham’s rotating set, with a faint engraving of 19th-century London projected on a screen in the background, once again set the stage for holiday parties, starlit flights into the past, present and future, and a morning redemption.
Making a strong debut this year is Jeri Marshall as a very sassy Ghost of Christmas Present. Her original take on very familiar lines is fun and funny. She’s also a stunning apparition in an iridescent gown trimmed with plenty of white faux fur, a red mop of ringlets and a top hat adorned with snowflakes. (Costume design by Misti Bradford.) Sean Duncan plays an earthy Bob Cratchit, in contrast to the timid and awkward clerks who sometimes inhabit that role. Andrea San Miguel brings energy and playfulness to two parts: Scrooge’s young love Belle and the flirty party guest Susan. And a special welcome to 8-year-old Azélie Klingele, who is the finest Tiny Tim I’ve ever seen. Her stage presence and physicality will break your heart as she announces, “God bless us, every one.”
According to his bio, Nathan Connor began his acting career at CTM more than 15 years ago. Recently returned to Madison, he makes a terrifying Jacob Marley. An enormous ghost with wild hair and wilder eyes, he looks more like a fallen warrior than one who used to darken the door of a financial office. Scrooge dare not disobey his former friend when he announces that Ebenezer must change his ways.
Keeping with tradition, this Christmas Carol has some fine musical interludes, many of which are accompanied by young performers on violins. And it has more young people in the cast than is strictly necessary — as a result, the stage occasionally feels more crowded than it should be. But that is a minor quibble for this production, which has found a charming way to preserve what is best about Dickens’ holiday morality play while simultaneously reinvigorating it with a new spark.
