Scrooge U : Part XIII — Guthrie stages spirited “Carol”

Jim Hill

18 years ago

In ballet circles, “The Nutcracker” is now considered a lucrative cliché. Meaning that it’s a show that most companies HAVE TO produce each year. Given that many people nowadays just don’t consider it Christmas unless they’re able to:

Get dressed up.

Go to the theater.

Nod off while Clara & her wooden pal clomp around to the strains of Tchaikovsky.

Seriously though, a successful production of “The Nutcracker” can usually raise enough money (through the sale of tickets to people who don’t typically go to ballet) to cover the costs of the rest of that season. Which is why most smart company managers always schedule a production of this holiday favorite to run during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Mind you, this yearly “Nutcracker” windfall that many ballet companies enjoy has not gone unnoticed in regional theater circles. Which is why many theaters that have resident companies now present an annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” With the hope that — by giving the public exactly what it wants during the holiday season (I.E. Scrooge barking “Humbug,” Marley rattling his chains & Tiny Tim saying “God Bless Us, Everyone!”) — that theater can then use this extra bit of money to underwrite the rest of their season.

Of course, the quality of these productions varies from theater to theater. But among the very best in the country is the version of “A Christmas Carol” that the Guthrie Theater has been presenting for 32 years now.

This particular live stage version of Dickens’ classic holiday tale is so highly acclaimed that — back in 1982 — the Entertainment Channel (I.E. An early cable network that prided itself on presenting cultural programming) cut a deal with the Guthrie to create a television special that was based on that regional theater’s annual presentation of “A Christmas Carol.”

As you might expect, a TV movie that’s based on a live stage show is rather stagebound. But that said, this version of “A Christmas Carol” is not without its charms.

“Like what?,” you ask. Well, let’s start with this play’s framing device. Which has poor Charles Dickens being badgered to stop writing, come downstairs and join his family at their annual Christmas party. But Charles can’t do that because he hasn’t actually finished “A Christmas Carol” yet. And given that (as always) the Dickens family really needs the money that the sale of this story will bring, Charles has no choice but to continue writing.

So — after he shooes his wife, son, daughter, father & maid away — Dickens settles back into his upstairs office. Charles then begins reading aloud from the text, to see how his new story flows.

And — with that — Charles Dickens becomes the defacto narrator of this version of “A Christmas Carol.” Stepping in every now and then as the play runs its course to offer a bit of commentary and/or smooth over a transition. It’s a clever idea that playwright Barbara Field (who adapted Dickens’ holiday favorite for the stage) manages to keep fresh by using this author-as-narrator device sparingly over the course of the show.

Of course, another fun aspect of the Guthrie Theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is its set. Which is basically this twisted pair of stairs that lead up from the bare stage to a small platform. Which doesn’t look like much at first. But add a little snow, some actors in 1840s period costumes, change the lighting and — Presto! — you’re on the streets on London.

Or add two desks and a coal stove and you’re inside Scrooge’s counting house. Roll in a few settees and a Christmas tree, and you’re suddenly at nephew Fred’s Christmas party.

Better yet, cover the stage with fog and throw open a trap door and you can watch Scrooge’s horror as Marley (having delivered that faithful warning to his old partner) now descends back into Hell.

Of course, given that we’re talking about live theater here (Particularly live theater circa 1982), this version of “A Christmas Carol” isn’t long on special effects. So it’s really the performances of the individual actors that make the Ghost of Christmas Present (Peter Thoemke), Ebenezer Scrooge (Richard Hilger) and the Ghost of Christmas Past (Jonathan Fuller) so effective.

Mind you, Paul Miller (Who directed this television version of the Guthrie’s “A Christmas Carol.” Which was based on Jon Cranney’s original direction for the stage play) uses a few camera tricks every now and then. Like that moment in this TV show where he superimposes Marley’s face onto Scrooge’s front door. (Borrowing a joke from “Young Frankenstein” here) What a knocker!

But in the end, what makes this TV movie version of “A Christmas Carol” moving are the very same things that would touch an audiences that was watching the live version of this show. Like the very clever idea of having the actress who played Ebenezer’s fiancee, Belle (Keliher Walsh) also play the role of Fred’s wife. Which makes it all the more poignant when the now-reformed miser finally comes to Christmas dinner at his nephew’s house. And Scrooge gets a glimpse of the life he almost had.

By the way, if you’re going to be out in the Minneapolis area over the next month, the Guthrie will be presenting performances of its acclaimed version of “A Christmas Carol” through December 30th. And — based on how good the VHS version of this show looks — I would imagine that it would be absolutely amazing to see in person.

Plus — if you get tickets to this year’s version of Dickens’ classic holiday tale — you’ll also get the chance to check out the Guthrie’s brand-new $125 million theater complex. Which (I’m told) has a killer view of the Mississippi.

Okay. That’s enough talk about hoity-toity theater versions of “A Christmas Carol.” Tomorrow, it’s the version of Dickens’ classic holiday tale that all you Disney dweebs have been waiting for. A certain short film that features a certain cartoon mouse..