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Trinity
Repertory's Christmas Carol Lacks Holiday
Magic
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Kerri
Kanelos
November
27th 2005 |
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Directed by
Amanda Dehnert, Trinity Repertory's 29th annual
production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas
Carol attempts to inspire audiences with
Scrooge's infamous story about the importance
of personal redemption and the value of human
connections. Unfortunately, this year's version
fails to muster up the right amounts of magic,
humor and holiday cheer needed to separate
itself from the thousands of other mediocre
versions of this story.
Since the show
runs almost every day through Christmas Eve,
there are two adult casts and four children's
casts (Holly and Ivy). While opening night
for the Holly Cast ran smoothly on Tuesday
night and contained some decent acting throughout
most of the cast, nothing really stuck out
to make this an exciting or exceptional performance.
Scrooge's character,
while played well by Trinity veteran William
Damkoehler, appears rather one-dimensional.
The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jessica Crandall)
provides some spunk with her fairy wings and
black combat boots, but the performance falls
flat with the Ghost of Christmas Present-an
attempt to play out Dickens' version of the
character who ages throughout his visit with
Scrooge. The most impressive and creative
role belongs to the Ghost of Christmas Future,
an eerie shadow suspended above the stage.
The set design,
props, and special effects also lack the usually
creative "bells and whistles" offered
by Trinity Rep. The side platforms, containing
a scarcely furnished office for Scrooge's
business and a dinner table for the Cratchit
household, seem stripped down and aesthetically
boring. The main stage remains covered in
snow for the entire performance. Besides a
backdrop of old European buildings and a few
crates, there are few stationary decorations.
Scrooge is often counting a handful of gold
coins, a sad downsizing of the usual mounds
of coins and cash strewn about the stage.
Even the usually spooky exchange between Scrooge
and the ghost of Jacob Marley (played by Mark
Sutch) failed to entertain. Throughout the
performance, stagehands were seen in clear
view fastening chains and hoisting the actors.
These distractions and green gaffer tape in
plain sight really steals the magic from the
show.
While the music
often drowns out the cast's singing, it is
nice to hear live holiday favorites played
by Kevin Fallon, Rachel Maloney, and Christ
Turner.
Although this
year's rendition of the Dickens classic feels
rather empty compared to Trinity Rep's other
attempts, A Christmas Carol remains
an annual New England tradition for many families.
The show runs through December 24th. Contact
the box office (401-351-4242) for tickets
or visit www.trinityrep.com. |
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