By Hannah Cass
After seeing Neil Simon Festival’s Frankenstein On the Air for Halloween, I was thrilled to be attending their holiday offering: A Christmas Carol On the Air in Cedar City. Every now and then, something comes along that is truly different in the most magical and uplifting way; something that you can’t see in just any place. Certainly not in big cities like Chicago or Los Angeles, but in obscure, small-town America. Small towns like Cedar City, Utah, where the Neil Simon Festival has once again gifted us with A Christmas Carol: On The Air at the Heritage Center Theater, featuring the return of both familiar faces and new talent alike, as well as film and television star Tony Amendola as Scrooge.
Directed by Peter Sham, together with music director Dr. Lawrence Johnson, Choreographer/Assistant Director Kirsten Sham, Stage Manager Alyson King, Costume Designer Jen Bach, FOH Sound Mixer Frank Stearns, Audio Engineers Corlissa Jensen and Marty Shurtleff, and Set Decor and Props Manager Jaymes Wheeler, this fascinating blend of both the classic Dickens tale and the hilarious antics of the cast “off-air” is seamlessly well-combined and creates a wonderful and engaging atmosphere for audience members. It truly is a treat to be immersed inside a story within a story, so much so that one forgets they are in fact watching a performance rather than witnessing the actual musings of the characters involved.
Sham and Richard Bugg return as the Wright brothers Chick and Stu (and for a brief and astoundingly funny time, Sherlock and Watson), the travelling duo bringing shows like this one across small towns like ours, much to Chick’s discontent, who would rather find something outside of the norm for him in a big city. Their cast includes Lawrence Johnson as Larry/The Music Director, Henry Ballesteros as Andy/The Ghost of Christmas Present, Tammi Colombo as Carolette #1/Mrs. Fezziwig/Martha, Courtney McMullin as Carolette #2/Emily, Olivia Sham as Carolette #3/Fan/ Belinda, Matthew Nickerson as Jacob Marley/Mr. Barnaby/Old Joe, Dylan Barrick as Tiny Tim, Michael Bahr as himself/Bob Cratchit, Jan Broberg as Belle, Holly Barrick as Ghost of Christmas Past/Mrs. Cratchit/Laundress, Wendy Penrod as Chiffon Baker/Bored Wife/Mrs. Dilber, Ryan McLean as Freddie/Douglas Fir/Dick/Dull Husband/Businessman #1, Trevor Messenger as Scoop/Boy/Young Ebenezer/Peter/Businessman #2, Keith Bradshaw as Gentleman #1/Tannenbaum/Fezziwig/Stationman/Old Joe, Ron Pisaturo as Gentleman #2/Cypress/Undertaker, Ellen Treanor as Virgina Pine, and Dan Frezza as himself/”An Old Friend”.
Most of the singing and dancing was for the sponsor ads but they were still wonderful! Costumes were awesome, I loved the ghost of Christmas Present robe and the entirety of the ghost of Christmas future. So scary.
The tale of old Ebenezer Scrooge is a well-known and revisited one, however the talent in this particular production made me feel as though I was experiencing it for the first time. My husband, a very mellow and generally unfeeling individual in regard to shows especially, expressed his surprising emotional investment in the story. He confessed that he “felt like crying” after watching Scrooge’s change of heart. My other friend, wiping a tear from his eye replied, “You didn’t?” They agreed on the fact that seeing the show was the first time they had both experienced the Christmas Spirit this entire year. I was astonished listening to these two manly men, and particularly delighted. After all, this production is Simon Fest’s gift to us all this season, and it was certainly well-received. Nature agreed, providing a magical flurry of snow that was a delight to everyone during intermission.
Sadly, there are only two more chances to see it: Thursday the 21st and Friday the 22nd at 7:30 PM. See it both times. See it every year. Christmas magic is real, folks, and watching A Christmas Carol: On The Air at the Heritage Center Theater in Cedar City is a wonderful way to experience it with the people you love.
The Neil Simon Festival presents A Christmas Carol: On The Air, featuring Tony Amendola as Ebenezer Scrooge.
The Heritage Center Theater, 105 North 100 East, Cedar City, UT 84720
Tickets: $10-15
Contact: 435-267-0194, 866-35-SIMON
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