THEATER REVIEW: Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol at Berkshire Theatre Festival
Theater
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Eric Hill
Directed by Eric Hill and E. Gray Simons III
(Unicorn Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stockbridge, Mass.)
A BTF production of A Christmas Carol in two acts
Cast:
Kori Alston (Dick Wilkins, Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come, Chorus)
Lindsay Belair (Dorit Cratchit)
Michael Brahce (Narrator)
Emily Cooper (Female Party Guest, 
Chorus)
Chorus)
Alee Danyluk (Violinist, Chorus)
Caroline Fairweather (Martha Cratchit)
Emma Foley (Student, Turkey Boy, Chorus)
Daniel Garrity (Peter Cratchit)
Sam Gillam (Young Scrooge, Man of Business, Party Guest)
Eric Hill (Ebenezer Scrooge)
Jesse Hinson (Fred)
Amy Kane (Chorus)
Hanna Koczela (Fan, Chorus)
Rebecca Leigh (Mrs. Fred, Chorus)
Michelena Mastrianni (Chorus)
Anna Grace Nimmo (Ignorance, Chorus)
Ralph Petillo (Solicitor, Ghost of Christmas Present, Fezziwig, Man of Business)
McKenna Powell (Belle)
Samantha Richert (Ghost of Christmas Past, Charwoman)
Mark E. Rosenthal (Bob Cratchit)
Gail Ryan (Mrs. Fezziwig, Laundress)
Abby Schilling (Want, Chorus)
E. Gray Simons III (Jacob Marley, Old Joe)
Henry Taylor (Tiny Tim)
Kim Taylor (Mrs. Cratchit)
Rufus Taylor (Younger Scrooge, Chorus)
Marcella Tenuta (Chorus)
Sophia Tenuta (Chorus)
Emelyn Theriault (Belle’s Daughter, Chorus)
Christopher-Michael Vecchia (Belle’s Husband, Undertaker, Solicitor, Man of Business, Topper)
Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck
Now in its fifth year, the annual Berkshire Theatre Festival production of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is an ideal holiday treat, from Eric Hill’s fine performance as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge to the sprightly singing and dancing of the ensemble, to the cle
ver stagecraft that gives us the eerie, other-worldly Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.
ver stagecraft that gives us the eerie, other-worldly Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.
Carl Sprague’s wonderful set whisks the audience away to a grim Victorian London, with rickety buildings zig-zagging across the stage, richly textured to resemble brick and slate, pierced by grimy little windows glowing with a golden light from within. A dusting of snow covers the stage as chimney stacks and a grand cathedral loom above. The ensemble cast fills the stage in their detailed nineteenth-century garb in drab shades of gray and brown, turning the street scene into a lively tableau, and the play begins when the narrator (very well-played by Michael Brahce) intones, “Marley was dead.”
Eric Hill’s adaptation wisely preserves much of Dickens’s language: his opening description of Scrooge is incomparable: “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner.” Hill not only adapted the text and portrays Scrooge, but co directs with E. Gray Simons III. The two have done a bang-up job, taking the oh-so-familiar story and ad
ding just the right moments of music, either strains of violin music beautifully played by Alee Danyluk, or verses from familiar, old-fashioned Christmas carols, sung by members of the cast.
ding just the right moments of music, either strains of violin music beautifully played by Alee Danyluk, or verses from familiar, old-fashioned Christmas carols, sung by members of the cast.
Not only is Simons responsible for his share of the very good direction in this production, he is a ghostly Jacob Marley, moaning, rattling his chains, lamenting his misspent life, and thoroughly unnerving the curmudgeonly Scrooge. And the audience’s first view of Marley’s visage is unnerving, indeed.
The sound design by J Hagenbuckle coupled with the lighting design by Matthew E. Adelson add immensely to the show, from creating spectral lights and shadows to special voice effects, and Jessica Risser-Milne’s costumes are just right as well.
The large cast, which includes seasoned actors as well as youngsters from the community, is wonderful. Mark E. Rosenthal is a properly downtrodden Bob Cratchit, lighting up when in the presence of his loving family; Kim Taylor is an affecting Mrs. Cratchit, indignant at toasting Mr. Scrooge and tender with her brood of children; and Henry Taylor is a very fine Tiny Tim. Lindsay Belair, Caroline Fairweather, and Daniel Garrity deliver solid performances as the rest of the Cratchit children.
Ralph Petillo is a booming, larger-than-life Ghost of Christmas Present as well as a delightful Fezziwig; Gail Ryan is the lively Mrs. Fezziwig. Samantha Richert is ethereal and lovely as the Ghost of Christmas Past, presiding over the poignant moments from Scrooge’s youth.
Jesse Hinson is just right as Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, his optimism and humor the perfect contrast to Scrooge’s gloom. Rebecca Leigh as his wife, as well as Emily Cooper and Sam Gillam, who join their C
hristmas party, offer some lovely moments of music with their beautiful singing voices. Most of the actors play more than one role (some are as many as five characters), but the costume changes, as well as good acting, make it all very clear and easy to follow. Gillam, for example, is very strong as Scrooge in his days as a clerk to Mr. Fezziwig, and Christopher–Michael Vecchia delivers good performances in five different parts.
hristmas party, offer some lovely moments of music with their beautiful singing voices. Most of the actors play more than one role (some are as many as five characters), but the costume changes, as well as good acting, make it all very clear and easy to follow. Gillam, for example, is very strong as Scrooge in his days as a clerk to Mr. Fezziwig, and Christopher–Michael Vecchia delivers good performances in five different parts.
The performances by the children in this production are terrific. Visiting Scrooge’s childhood, Hanna Koczela is sweet as Fan, Scrooge’s sister, and Rufus Taylor is touching as the very young Scrooge. McKenna Powell is lovely as Belle, Scrooge’s one-time fiancé. Kori Alston, Emma 
Foley, Amy Kane, Michelena Mastrianni, Anna Grace Nimmo, Abby Schilling, Marcella Tenuta, Sophia Tenuta, and Emelyn Theriault all do very well in various small roles and as the chorus, from singing and dancing to portraying young citizens of Victorian London.
Foley, Amy Kane, Michelena Mastrianni, Anna Grace Nimmo, Abby Schilling, Marcella Tenuta, Sophia Tenuta, and Emelyn Theriault all do very well in various small roles and as the chorus, from singing and dancing to portraying young citizens of Victorian London.
Hill as Scrooge takes the audience along on his journey of transformation: enjoying the Fezziwigs' holiday feast, torn at his heartbreak over losing Belle, laughing at nephew Fred’s festive party, and despairing at the poverty of the Cratchit family.
From his early “Bah, humbug” to when we see him capering and smiling as a new man, Hill and this marvelous cast offer a beautifully crafted rendition of this classic Christmas story, an ideal embodiment of Dickens’s work. I can’t imagine anyone who would not get just a little choked up at hearing Tiny Tim proclaim, “God bless us, every one!” BTF’s A Christmas Carol is a pleasure, year after year.
Scene design by Carl Sprague; costume design by Jessica Risser-Milne; lighting design by Matthew E. Adelson; sound design by J Hagenbuckle; and movement by Isadora Wolfe; stage management by Kyle S. Urquhart; dialect coaching by Elizabeth Terry
(Through December 30; running time is 90 minutes with one 15-minute intermission)
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for children and students. Call the box office at ext. 33 or visit www.berkshiretheatre.org.
Lesley Ann Beck, the managing editor of Berkshire Living, reviews theater and the arts for www.berkshireliving.com.
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