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Regional Reviews: Phoenix William Shakespeare's Christmas Carol
The play combines the beloved story from Dickens' novella "A Christmas Carol" with Shakespearean verse and a few characters from some of Shakespeare's most famous plays. The plot, as in the original, follows the miserly Scrooge who is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who guide him toward redemption. Through soliloquies, rhymed couplets, and Shakespearean wordplay, the play offers a fresh look at Scrooge's transformation from curmudgeon to compassionate benefactor. While Doescher's concept is engaging, some of the inventiveness in the script could be clearer and the execution for this production was occasionally uneven. For example, while having the three witches from Macbeth serve as the individuals who scavenge and fight over Scrooge's possessions after his death, you'd only know that other Shakespearean characters such as Romeo and Juliet, Puck, or Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are represented in the play by looking at the program. The cast, under Joey Whelan's direction, brought varying levels of skill to their performances, with some actors rushing through their lines or not having clear diction that is required to clearly get across Shakespearean dialogue, which left some of the lines not understandable. This occasionally muddled the poetic language, detracting from the wit and nuance of Doescher's script. While the cast all did well in bringing their characters to life, stronger emphasis on clarity and pacing could have elevated the production's overall impact. Maxwell Muir's commanding stage presence worked well to evoke Scrooge's ability to transition from sneering disdain to heartfelt remorse. Chris Stonebraker and Kayla Cook did good work as the various ghosts who visit Scrooge. (Doescher does make a fun change in having the ghost of Marley now be called Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's contemporary playwright.) Cook also supplied the puppetry for Tiny Tim, which was a wonderful way to depict this beloved character. Rich Gilliam and Juliet Gilliam delivered beautiful performances as Scrooge's beleaguered employee Cratchit and his wife with portrayals that were authentic and heartfelt. Samuel Cuauhtémoc was bright and endearing as Scrooge's nephew and other characters. The rest of the cast all created a wide range of humorous or dramatic characters and appeared to have a fun time doing so. The costumes by Carlin Thomas were excellent, blending Elizabethan and Victorian elements with quirky flair to emphasize the hybrid nature of the play. While William Buckley's set design was minimalist, which required a lot of imagination from the audience to create the various locations in the play, Joey Whelan's staging made good use of the area behind the audience for Scrooge and the ghosts to walk through while scene changes took place. Travis Bovard's lighting evoked some fun moments for the ghosts, and the sound design by Eliana Burns evoked some nice period touches. Despite a few shortcomings I had with the play and this production, William Shakespeare's Christmas Carol was still a fun look at an inventive and enjoyable combination of two literary greats. While not without its drawbacks, B3 and Showcase Community Theatre presented an intriguing holiday experience for fans of both Dickens and Shakespeare, reminding audiences of the play's timeless themes of generosity, redemption and goodwill. William Shakespeare's Christmas Carol, a co-production of B3 Theater and Showcase Community Theatre, ran December 13-22, 2024, at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix. For more information on their upcoming productions, visit sites.google.com/view/b3theater or showcasetheatreaz.com. Director: Joey Whelan Cast: |
