Issue #39, December 22, 2006

review: a christmas carol at gateway

by Roy Bradbrook

This show is truly a Christmas present for Long Island. The original production of A Christmas Carol, which was staged for several years at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and the Gateway Playhouse, is one of the first in the nation to obtain the rights to perform the show.

Sometimes a wonderful story can be mangled when turned into a play or a musical, but not in this case. Dickens’ story is possibly one of the finest novels ever written, with its detailed portrayal of the inequalities and hypocrisy of Victorian Britain leavened with humor, pathos, courage and of course, a happy ending. It is suitable for a season when only merry things should surround us.

From the curtain up, the show captivates audience members with its fast moving action, tuneful music and excellent choreography. The adult cast of almost thirty, plus a host of delightful and very well trained children, from more than fifteen towns on Long Island come together with colorful, well-chosen costumes and a series of very effective sets to recreate an image of London a century and a half ago. The stage is a kaleidoscope of action and the cast uniformly has great singing voices that do justice to a score that has many memorable numbers.

The key role is perennial villain Ebenezer Scrooge, where Dickens created one of the greatest characters of all time whose name has become a synonym for miserly behavior. In this role, Steve Brady displays every facet of his character from the initial villain through his transformation to a relatively normal human being, with great skill. In a musical, it would be easy to overplay the role but Brady makes Scrooge very believable. The downtrodden, but hard working family man, Bob Cratchit (Kip Driver), with his steadfast wife (Anette Michelle Saunders), helps to epitomize the best of Victorian family virtues.

Scrooge’s character transformation takes place during a ‘dream’ or ‘vision’ in which his long dead and equally avaricious partner Jacob Marley (Howard Pinhasik), explains that he will be shown his past, present and most ominously, his future by three apparitions in the hope that Scrooge may change his ways before it is too late. The outrageously costumed Ghost of Christmas Past (John Shulman) and his equally outlandish Ghost of Christmas Present (Christopher Sapienza) bring back to him memories of his formative years, of joys and personal relations that might have brought happiness to his life. But due to his growing obsession with the acquisition of riches, he seems to have missed his chance. Scrooge sees again his start at Fezziwigs Bank, where Mr. Fezziwig (Robert Anthony Jones) helps him in his career, only for Scrooge to end up bankrupting him in return without a care in the world. In doing so, he also loses the only girl he loved. The final Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be (Kolina Janneck) comes to him as a balletic menacing figure, who shows him what could be his miserable final days, when all his wealth means nothing. These three characters, in their very different styles, kept the very enthusiastic opening night audience intrigued and the large numbers of children in the audience were obviously captivated as the story unfolded.

Now, apart from Scrooge, the other key character is a relatively small one, played by a very small person. Without the character of the crippled Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit’s adored son, who seems destined for an early grave, the story would lose much of its impact. Ryan Meenan made a winsome Tiny Tim, as he is carried around by his devoted father and his heartfelt “God Bless Us Everyone” line at the culmination of the show when Scrooge has reunited with his estranged family and determines to be a benefactor to the Cratchit family and especially to Tiny Tim. This ending brings home all that Christmas should mean.

The opening night of A Christmas Carol was a virtual sell out and the audience gave the cast a prolonged and very well-deserved standing ovation. The whole production is a joy and everyone connected with it from Producer, Paul Allan, Artistic Director, Robin Joy Allan, Director, Bob Durkin, Scenic Designer Kelly Tighe, Costume Designer Peg McGowan, Choreographer John Dietrich, Music Director Nathan Perry, Stage Manager Jon William Goldman and Lighting Designer, Brian Loesch. All of their staff also met a standing ovation for bringing Dickens’ story to life here on stage. The show runs until December 30th and tickets are selling very fast. Take my advice, call the box office at (631) 286-1133 and treat yourself and your family to a show that hopefully will become a regular feature of Gateway’s Christmas repertoire for many years to come.