The Guthrie Theatre unveiled their new Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on November 19th. It's poignant. It's good for the holiday spirit. And it's funny. Sometimes the comedy draws you into the characters and other times the one-liners seem intrusive. As in past years, the production is a visual gift. With a clever set design by Walt Spangler that moves easily into different locations and with sumptuous costumes by Matthew J. Febrve, the production is indeed a feast for the eyes.

 

Joe Dowling's direction keeps the pace moving quickly. In this new world of sound bytes and media speed, the uptempo staging keeps your eyes glued to the stage. Blink your eyes and you may miss something. Daniel Gerroll's vigorous Scrooge is something new. Gone is the elderly, crotchety Ebeneezer and in his place is a man of vigor and strength determined to continue his life's work of amassing riches. Does it work? Yes, it does.  Scrooge is the centerpiece if the play and his vigor keeps you locked into his journey.

 

The new script by Crispen Whittel keeps most of Dickens intact. It is a very funny script. Indeed more than half of it is a comedy. and while A Christmas Carol has always had humor, there are times when the laughs get in the way of the momentum of the play (towards Scrooge's salvation). When Scrooge is cracking jokes as he visits the Cratchit's home in the present, the laughs fly fast and furious. One moment after a joke, Scrooge suddenly notices Tiny Tim with great compassion. And the laughing audience did not have time to shift gears and note the change in the scene because it was over. His eventual change into "honoring Christmas with all his heart" was never firmly established.

 

The humor in the Jacob Marley (played by Lee Mark Nelson) scene took away the usual fright from the scene but the threadline of disbelief was carried through to Scrooge's bedtime and was not an interruption.  It was simply a new way to interpret the Scrooge-Marley encounter.

 

The comedy works beautifully in the interaction of the Cratchit family. The Cratchits remain the pulsing heart of the play. Mrs. Cratchit's worry over possible kitchen disasters made her a breathing person and not a symbol of sentimentality.  Performed by Virginia S. Burke with charm and a touch of cynicism, Mrs. Cratchit's loving and knowing interaction with her family and with the impossibly timid Mr. Cratchit (played by Kris L. Nelson with delicate nuance) brought smiles instead of guffaws. Gone were the snappy one-liners and the comedic moments came from character and situation.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig's (Bob Davis and Suzanne Warmanen) party continues to delight. It is the quintessential Christmas gathering complete with holiday delectables and brightly glowing tree. The rustic country dancing created by Joe Chvala was danced with holiday glee. The joyous moments of a Christmas celebration are interspersed with Young Scrooge's (played by James Leighton) and Belle's (Christine Weber) romance and break-up. Their encounters infused the scene with great poignancy.

 

The ghosts (Kate Eifrig and Nic Few) invigorated the scenes with irony, wit and compassion. The comedy was not out of place. And the comic moments worked especially well with Angela Timberman as Scrooge's housekeeper Merriweather. She underwent no transformation, stayed true to her dour soul and had more than one scene-stealing perfect moment.

 

With all the comedy, the children in the show infused the story with innocence and a sweetness that never cloyed. When Tiny Tim opens the show with a lyrical and haunting "Coventry Carol," you are reminded that this is a holiday about a child and that childlike wonder still surrounds Christmas. Noah Ross's portrayal of Tiny Tim is played with an aching purity and simplicity. The audience becomes invested in Tiny Tim long before Scrooge meets him. 

 

The play walks a fine line between comedy and poignancy. The unabashed moments of Christmas fairy dust that floats in and out of the production still bring Christmas wonder. And one of the reasons audiences return to A Christmas Carol again and again is to try and grasp a few tinseled threads of that wonder. And on that point, the Guthrie's production delivers - beautifully.

 

A Christmas Carol runs through December 30th. A sneak-peek of a performance of A Christmas Carol can be found here. For performance dates, times and ticket information, please see The Guthrie Theatre's website.