What is it about this Charles Dickens classic that is the source of its magic? What allows it to transcend time period, age level and socioeconomic standing? How does it seem to somehow work across all mediums—on the written page, onstage, drawn by Disney animators in the 1980s, puppeteered as variations of the Muppets characters in the 1990s, parodied on VH1 by Vanessa Williams and Kathy Griffin in the 2000s and in countless other variations?
Ultimately, any format of A Christmas Carol has to convey the myriad of emotions and themes that resonate deepest with audiences in a limited timespan: greed, disgust, pity, despair, hope, redemption, generosity, kindness, compassion and love.
To successfully execute each of these complete with seamless transitioning is no easy feat, but director Evan Battle (who even stepped in to cover for one of his actors the night of previews, might I add) is up to the task.
Christmas Eve in London is cold and bleak for the curmudgeonly bitter Ebenezer Scrooge (Robb Tracy). He loathes Christmas, spurns his family, rejects charitable causes and only provides his clerk, Bob Crachit (Jeffrey Benion), the holiday off with pay to fulfill societal norms.
As he rests that evening, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his long-deceased business partner, Jacob Marley (David Clark Hutchison). Marley informs Scrooge he will be visited by three spirits with cautionary tales from Scrooge’s circumstances—past, present and future. If Scrooge accepts the truth and reinvents his perspective, perhaps he won’t be doomed to carry the same shackles of greed and loneliness his former partner had to bear.
Chief among A Christmas Carol’s triumphs are its well-rounded cast. Robb Tracy is a tour-de-force of (has it been termed before?) “Scroogean” acting. There’s a way of being the grumpy old naysayer that can get rather played out if too aggressive or too unrealistic—beyond the point of redemption. Tracy strikes the balance remarkably well.
Julian Bremer serves as the arbiter to the proceedings as narrator Charles Dickens with stoic knowing. Jazzmine Dubose provides poise and flare to the Ghost of Christmas Past. Carlos G. Rodriguez played a subtly warm Fred, the sole family member willing to attempt to convince Scrooge to participate in holiday tradition. And although not an actor, the craftmanship behind the reaper of the Ghost of Christmas Future is astounding.
It is an odd predicament—A Christmas Carol is beloved the world over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is effortless to recreate such success. No one should rest on their laurels. Battle’s production strives hard to deliver tradition with innovation. The bar for this classic continues to raise as audiences applaud, higher and higher.
A Christmas Carol runs until December 22 at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St. Tickets are on sale at cost between $14 to $24. Online ticketing is available at lbplayhouse.org. The theater’s box office can be reached at (562) 494-1014.
