Cappies Theatre Review: A Christmas Carol

By Ally Pittman, Fairfax High School

In a classic tale of ghost stories, Christmas cheer and “Bah Humbug” Charles Dickens’s most famous work, A Christmas Carol, is a Yuletide tradition among many families wishing for a heartwarming, time-honored show to kick off the Christmas season. While not even Thanksgiving, still filled us with warm Christmas comfort in their production of, A Christmas Carol.

Set in Victorian England, this well-known play tells the story of a man called Scrooge, so warped with his place in life as a greedy, stingy business man, that Christmas, usually referred to as the happiest time of the year has become a black spot on his time. However, on this particular day, exactly seven years after the death of his equally uncharitable business partner, Jacob Marley, the same fellow visits him again from the dead. The chain-ridden ghost of Marley warns Scrooge that he must change his ways to avoid a miserable afterlife like the one he is living. Marley informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts who will show him the errors of his ways. Believing this to be merely in his imagination, Scrooge ignores the warning yet is visited by each ghost nonetheless who take him to Christmases past, present and yet to come.

Being a Christmas Carol, Centreville made sure to include many instances of music, covering set changes and other such alterations with classic carols such as “Silent Night” and “Good King Wenceslas”.  These tunes were sung by a choir who were often accompanied by the narrators of the play who manifested themselves as a group of young girls in Victorian hoop skirts.

Subtle details in this performance, such as the old age makeup used on Scrooge and other various members of the cast were done quite well. Sometimes in a performance, old-age makeup can be seen as sloppy and obvious when close up, yet in each scene where Scrooge’s face was near the audience and clearly shown, there was never even a line out of place to cause the audience disbelief in the fact that that wasn’t a great, old man standing in front of them.

Daniel Lindgren, the leading man of the play must be commended for his remarkable acting prowess. While some actors seemed a bit devoid of energy and had trouble understanding and delivering their lines, it was obvious Lindgren knew his part to the letter, carrying the show with every clearly spoken word.

There were two other actors who, while only appearing for a scene or two, stood out with their superb acting skill. Anthony Ingargiola sent shivers up every spine in his chilling depiction of the clanking ghost of Jacob Marley while Maddie Assel shone with clearly chosen character stance in her performance of Scrooge’s nephew, Fred’s wife. While respectively supporting roles, Ingargiola and Assel managed to make a lasting impression.

The effects used in this performance were charming to say the least. While there were some lighting issues, Centreville’s use of a fog machine was utilized well, creating a haunting effect which stuck to the stage and did not smother the audience. Also, the light snow dusting during curtain call made for a cheery appeal and a pleasant end to the classic play.

While still November, Centreville’s production of A Christmas Carol has certainly put many in the Christmas spirit!

Editor's note: This article was submitted through The Cappies, a program that trains high school students as theatre critics.