A Christmas Carol
“A CHRISTMAS CAROL”
(with apologies to David Sedaris- this is more or less a personalized rewrite of one of his essays. I liked the concept so well I wanted to recreate it with a local flavor)
Once more the excitement of the Christmas theater season is upon us, and a staggering array of fine works are again out there to overwhelm the culturally-minded. Not least among the choices is the first one this critic chose to review, a sometime modern, sometime period adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", put on by one of South Nashville's hidden treasures- the fifth grade class of Norman Binkley Elementary School.
While at times the dialogue seemed stilted and the acting seemed wooden, the synergy of 19th century England and 21st century converted schoolroom cafeteria could not be held back. While Ben William's Ebenezer lacked some of the spirit of say, Alistair Sims, it was at least as powerful as say, Keanu Reeves. Ben, as did most of the Norman Binkley thespians, chose to portray his London character with strong southern schoolboy overtones. This creative "Hee-Haw meets Debtor's Prison" version of the young lads kept the play from sinking into the sentimentality that the old tale often finds itself mired. And young Tim, played by Rami Mishu, was a positive show stealer with his Chester-like limp. The assorted nationalities and ethnicities of the actors at first took some getting used to, as well as the blue jeans and even tennis shoes worn by some of the 19th century Londoners, but after a while the audience was able to appreciate the conflict this produced.
The finest scene, and this critic suspects it was part of an ingenious rewrite, was when Bob (Sean McCurdy) Cratchit hoisted Tiny Tim on his shoulders to set off to church. The scene quickly took on a fine Mel Brooks quality as Bob struggled valiantly to lift Tim, and Tim struggled valiantly to stay lifted. At last they achieved a kind of equilibrium as Bob wobbled around with Tim as though he were carrying a sofa. Well to this critic's delight the whole party came crashing down, cardboard spats and top hats flying everywhere. The only set in this minimalist interpretation, a cardboard wall painted vaguely (and incomprehensibly) to resemble a 15th century castle, came crashing down with the lot. The comic pathos was palpable. If the rest of the holiday season proves this festive, then this is one critic who won't be saying, "Bah, Humbug!"
(with apologies to David Sedaris- this is more or less a personalized rewrite of one of his essays. I liked the concept so well I wanted to recreate it with a local flavor)
Once more the excitement of the Christmas theater season is upon us, and a staggering array of fine works are again out there to overwhelm the culturally-minded. Not least among the choices is the first one this critic chose to review, a sometime modern, sometime period adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", put on by one of South Nashville's hidden treasures- the fifth grade class of Norman Binkley Elementary School.
While at times the dialogue seemed stilted and the acting seemed wooden, the synergy of 19th century England and 21st century converted schoolroom cafeteria could not be held back. While Ben William's Ebenezer lacked some of the spirit of say, Alistair Sims, it was at least as powerful as say, Keanu Reeves. Ben, as did most of the Norman Binkley thespians, chose to portray his London character with strong southern schoolboy overtones. This creative "Hee-Haw meets Debtor's Prison" version of the young lads kept the play from sinking into the sentimentality that the old tale often finds itself mired. And young Tim, played by Rami Mishu, was a positive show stealer with his Chester-like limp. The assorted nationalities and ethnicities of the actors at first took some getting used to, as well as the blue jeans and even tennis shoes worn by some of the 19th century Londoners, but after a while the audience was able to appreciate the conflict this produced.
The finest scene, and this critic suspects it was part of an ingenious rewrite, was when Bob (Sean McCurdy) Cratchit hoisted Tiny Tim on his shoulders to set off to church. The scene quickly took on a fine Mel Brooks quality as Bob struggled valiantly to lift Tim, and Tim struggled valiantly to stay lifted. At last they achieved a kind of equilibrium as Bob wobbled around with Tim as though he were carrying a sofa. Well to this critic's delight the whole party came crashing down, cardboard spats and top hats flying everywhere. The only set in this minimalist interpretation, a cardboard wall painted vaguely (and incomprehensibly) to resemble a 15th century castle, came crashing down with the lot. The comic pathos was palpable. If the rest of the holiday season proves this festive, then this is one critic who won't be saying, "Bah, Humbug!"
posted by Glenn Yates | 1:07 PM
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