By Katrina “Kat” Reynolds
A Christmas Carol presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through December 28th. I attended the Opening Sunday matinee performance.
Andrew May as Ebeneezer Scrooge and the cast. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
The holiday season is upon us – and what better way to kick it off than to see A Christmas Carol at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre? With the classic Charles Dickens tale Adapted (and Originally Directed) by Blake Robison, Bridget Leak takes the helm once again to direct this timeless story of keeping your heart open all year long.
Direction by Ms. Leak is seamless, paced beautifully, and makes creative use of the playing space. She somehow manages to wrangle a large cast of actors into impressive stage pictures and traffic patterns which is no small feat! Set Design by Wilson Chin is exceptional and delightfully reflects the mood of each scene. Complementing the moods and visuals are Jaymi Lee Smith with Lighting Design and Matthew M. Nielson with Sound Design and Composition. Once more, Costume Designer Bill Black brings us period-appropriate garb which runs the gamut across the “classes” of characters we come to know and love.
Carol boasts an impressive ensemble of both local and guest performing artists. I imagine it must be fun for audiences to see some of their favourite Cincinnati actors grace the Rouse Theatre stage each Christmas season. (I know I personally love seeing my friends everywhere and anywhere they share their talents.) While I can not name them all, each performer is gifted with a solid amount of stage time with plenty of things to do – and that kind of ensemble work is an actor’s dream.
Andrew May returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge and brings his A-game to the park. Also returning is Kenneth Early in his turn as two fun and very different characters: Mr. Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Present. Spoiler alert: Mr. Early can read the phone book and give you the feels. Ryan Wesley Gilreath is endearing as Bob Cratchit; Maggie Lou Rader is luminous and commanding as the Ghost of Christmas Past; and Rupert Spraul elicits a beautiful sympathy as Young Scrooge.
It is fun to be reminded of the things which can surprise or draw other reactions from new audience members and, of course, from the children. The iteration of the Ghost of Christmas Future is a spooky choreography of an imposing figure handled by several puppeteers (shout-out to Puppetry Director Betsy Rosen and Puppeteers Jared Earland, Dina Monk, Aaron Schilling, and the amazing Tess Talbot). Tis a dark scene, of course – and the audible reactions.
While obviously a Christmas-themed show, the story told of this particular Christmas Eve is one for the ages. As one who celebrates Chanukkah versus anything to do with St. Nick, I look forward to many iterations of the Dickens masterpiece each December. And yes: my favourite is The Muppet Christmas Carol – but with a rock-solid cast, unmatched aesthetics, and nothing but heart-warming sentiment, the Playhouse production is also at the top of my list. If you have the opportunity, Blake Robison’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol is not to be missed.
Click here for more information about the production.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 