A Noise Within Theatre Company Opens ‘Glorious’ Christmas Carol

Cast of A Christmas Carol at Mr. Fezziwig’s party. – Photo by Craig Schwartz

By Nathaniel Cayanan

The critically acclaimed A Noise Within Theatre Company (ANW) has reopened its adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, finishing off a strong season of praiseworthy plays. Directed by the company’s creative directors, Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, who also provides the adaptation and stars as Scrooge, this iteration of A Christmas Carol is actually in its fourth year.

For the few unfamiliar with the story, the Dickens novella on which the play is based is a ghost story of sorts about cantankerous miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who bah humbugs (yup, verb form) any Christmas cheer thrown his way. On the night of Christmas Eve, he is warned by the spirit of his dead business associate, who means to save Scrooge from a dreary fate afforded by a life of selfishness and solitude, that three ghosts will visit him in the middle of the night to show him his bitter past, lonely present and bleak future that he may avoid if he were to change his ways.

As the company has done faithfully in many other productions, Elliott’s translation maintains a level of authenticity with its prose both in the dialogue and narration provided by the charming Freddy Douglas who pops in and out of stage to provide needed exposition. Yet, this same faithfulness to Dickens’ verbiage could also dissuade certain audiences more accustomed to commercial theater in which dialogue may be dumb down to appeal to the masses, especially with younger audiences who may associate the name Scrooge with a swimming pool of gold coins. Hopefully, this will not be the case as the Elliotts and their team of artists provide more than enough aesthetic candy, evocative and at times even poignant acting, as well as some lively musical and dance sequences, which mostly appeal due to the cast’s incredibly genuine enthusiasm, to pique our interests from beginning to end.

The actors, as they have done in many other productions, A Flea in Her Ear and All My Sons to name a few, collaborate well together, each performance complementing the other rather than competing, resulting in an increasingly engrossing experience. Incredibly surprising is Geoff Elliott who balances his roles of co-director, adapter, and lead of the play. Elliott who most recently took the stage as Joe Keller in All My Sons proves an ability to truly immerse himself in his characters to a point where you would think his Joe Keller and his Ebenezer Scrooge were played by two completely different actors. His performance goes beyond just different costumes or accents; rather, he is able to provide a completely different presence that draws us in in profoundly unique ways.

And despite the stage space being smaller than more known venues, the production value rivals the likes of those in more lavish theaters such as the Pantages or Ahmanson (and trust me, this is not an exaggeration). A prime example of this is in the introduction of the Ghost of Christmas Past, wonderfully performed by Deborah Strang when she swings in, quite literally, appearing out of nowhere like magic. Specific kudos go to Angela Balogh Calin, Jeanine A. Ringer and Brandon Hawkinson, who provide wonderfully crafted and planned costumes, scenic design and lighting, keeping with a truly authentic Dickensian feel, with a slight tinge of Gothic, Tim Burton-esque visuals.

Perhaps in other hands, the play would have ended up being one of the dime a dozen standard productions mandatorily offered by many others this holiday season. But, ANW has succeeded in offering a warm and wondrous holiday experience. Let’s hope that in the new year, ANW continues to bring, as the final musical number goes, “glorious” productions. This reviewer would give a shilling for that. Heck, I would even give half a crown.

A Christmas Carol will play until December 23rd, at A Noise Within, 3352 E Foothill Blvd.

Pasadena. Single tickets are starting at $48, with group (of 10 or more) rates available for adults at $25, students at $18, and youth at $14.  Tickets can be purchased through the company’s website, http://www.anoisewithin.org, at their box office, or by calling (626) 356-3100.

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