By Amanda Berg
“Bah Humbug” is the opposite of what you will be saying when you go to Draper Historic Theatre to see A Christmas Carol between now and December 22nd. This traditional holiday story by Charles Dickens concerns a grouchy old man, Ebenezer Scrooge (Cliff Harris) who has a change of heart with the help of four ghosts: his late business partner, Jacob Marley (Gary Later); the Ghost of Christmas Past (Heather Haycock), the Ghost of Christmas Present (Kyle Larsen), and the Ghost of Christmas Future (Stephanie Haycock).
While being haunted by these ghosts on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is reminded that his greed has not only made him unlikable, but has also destroyed his life and the future he might have under different circumstances. It also foretells possible disasters should he choose not to change his ways.
Harris is a wonderful actor, as you can sense his change of heart occurring over the course of these hauntings, eventually resulting in a full change of character who becomes loving, charitable, kind, and humorous. Belle (Abby McMullin), the woman of Scrooge’s dreams, plays a vital role in showing what might have been. Employee Bob Cratchet (Preston Brown) and his adorable son, Tiny Tim (Alex Greer), set the seen for both the present and what might be in the future.
It would be impossible to feature all vocal soloists in this review, as the show has many ensemble soloists, down to a nighttime streetlamp-lighter, played with a magical voice by Raymond Unutoa. I appreciate the decision of director Craig Haycock to feature ensemble members as much as he does, even by simply using them in a short Christmas carol. They use ensemble members as live instrumental soloists as well—a violinist (Anna Kennedy), harpist (Angie Brown), and oboist (not identified). I also appreciated their true utilization of child characters, rather than just having them be present on stage like props.
Especially impressive to me was the set design. The backdrop has sheer windows in the buildings, which allow the light to shine through and movement to be seen, as though there are real people in the buildings. There are some effects, such as a magically-moving chair, that I truly could not figure out the mechanism of despite sitting very close to the front. I appreciated a tombstone labeled “Dickens Fan,” because it was present during a scary, sad scene that needed a pick-me-up. They even use a live chicken as a prop—a very cute one, may I add.
If you want a family-friendly and faith-building reminder of what this season is really all about, stop by the Draper Historic Theater and see A Christmas Carol. It will have you saying “God bless us, every one.”
Draper Historic Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Original Music by Randy Young, Kyle Woodruff, Mackenzie Tolk-Homand and Jennifer Haycock. Adapted by Randy Young
Draper Historic Theater, 12366 S 900 E, Draper, UT 84020
December 7-22, 2018 at 2 and 7 PM
Tickets: $8-12
Contact: 801-572-4144
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