Christmas Santa

TINY TIM TIMES TWO “A Christmas Carol in Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas” is the full title of Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic novella that has been interpreted by seemingly everyone, including Thomas Edison and even the Muppets. This month, two Orange County productions join the fun. South Coast Repertory, under John-David Keller’s direction, goes for the drama: opulent sets and costumes, and a serious tone (though not bereft of humor). Pictured at left, Hal Landon Jr.

as Ebenezer Scrooge and Tom Shelton as Jacob Marley’s ghost. “It is the most traditional production of the story I know of,” says Keller. “It’s also the fullest, most lively and touching version, the best example of what theater can do to tell a story.” A more lighthearted, musical version can be found at Musical Theatre Village.

“We want to bless our audience with an ideal Christmas,” says Denise Fenton, founder and artistic director of MTV and director of “A Christmas With Scrooge,” (pictured below) in which Christianity is emphasized. “We want people to remember what Christmas is really all about.” South Coast Repertory Theatre, Segerstrom Stage: Tues.-Sun. until Dec. 24. For prices and showtimes, (714) 708-5555; www.scr.org . Musical Theatre Village: Thurs.-Sun. until Dec. 30.

Posted by Kristmas Santa on December 16th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
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What is impressive is the musical skill that the company, under the baton of Mandisis Dyantyis, brings to Mozart’s work. Listening to the overture played on marimbas is like hearing it with fresh ears. The first act duet between Pamina and Papageno, hymning “the gentle love of man and woman”, acquires a new ecstasy when accompanied by soft, rhythmic hand-clapping. Pauline Malefane is a magnificent Queen of the Nightunafraid to hit those soaring high notes.

And Zamile Gantana’s Papageno not only possesses a natural comic spirit, but makes his quest for the ideal mate genuinely touching. You come out feeling that Mozart’s great work has been totally reimagined. The company bring the same rich inventiveness to A Christmas Carol. Here Scrooge is a woman, played again by Pauline Malefane, who has sacrificed familial relationships and a singing career to become the boss of a gold-mining company.

She talks blithely of death “decreasing the surplus population”. But she is confronted by images of her younger self and there is a chilling moment when, as she is reminded that “a child dies of ignorance or want every three seconds”, the theatre falls appropriately silent. As with the Mozart, Dickens’s fable is reinvigorated by the cultural shift: it becomes the story of a woman who has forgotten her township origins in the accumulation of wealth.

And Dornford-May’s production, making extensive use of film, ensures the stage is constantly animated and the patterned movement of Lungelo Ngamlana’s choreography, is breathtaking. This is Dickens imaginatively rethought. Until January 19. Box Office: 020 7922 2922.

Posted by Kristmas Santa on December 1st, 2007 at 12:15 pm
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