Charles Dickens penned a Christmas story for the ages in 1843, spawning dozens of adaptations on stage and in film across the world (the Muppet version is, in my opinion, unmatched). It’s so ubiquitous that “Scrooge” as a description for a cantankerous anti-holiday crank has become a part of our lexicon. For 33 years, Pittsburgh CLO has established its own tradition with this story — a musical version by David H. Bell that incorporates classic carols.
At Saturday night’s performance at the Byham Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh — which was well-attended despite the winter wonderland of snow quiickly piling up outside — audience members could be heard comparing how many times they’ve seen the show over the years. And there’s a reason for that; if “A Musical Christmas Carol” isn’t already part of your holiday repertoire, it should be.
From the sweet opening notes of “Silent Night” at the show’s start to Tiny Tim’s “God bless us, every one” at its close, this musical is enchanting and will put you in the mood for candy canes, spiced oranges, wassail and good cheer.
At the center of the story is the arc of businessman Ebenezer Scrooge. The crowd watches in dismay as Scrooge (star of stage and screen Denis O’Hare) grumps and shouts at everyone around him one Christmas Eve, demanding immediate payback of loans, refusing to give to charity and delivering some very poor treatment to his employee Bob Cratchit. That night, he sees a vision of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, who tells Scrooge that he has a chance to avoid a miserable fate: he will be visited by ghots of Christmases past, present and future.
As Scrooge, O’Hare is expressive and wears his heart on his sleeve, from his angry beginnings to his desperate pleas to the three spirits to his unbridled elation at learning to embrace his felllow man at the tale’s end. Known for unusual and challenging roles in projects such as “American Horror Story,” he displays a real talent for physical acting that makes Scrooge practically leap off the stage.
Though this whole cast sparkled as bright as a string of Christmas lights, there were some particularly shiny bulbs. Daniel Krell as Marley was a perfect villain, cold and disarming; as Marley’s ghost, he commanded the stage and played perfectly off O’Hare’s surprise and fear. Tim Hartman played several roles, but as Mr. Fezziwig he was Marley’s exact inverse, utilizing a similar booming presence to spread cheer and pure delight for his whole time onstage. Bob and Mrs. Cratchit — Aaron Galligan-Stierle and Lisa Ann Goldsmith — made the perfect patriarch and matriarch at their overcrowded Christmas table. And Hallie Camacho was adorabe and oh-so-talented as Tiny Tim, the Cratchits’ frail child and the sweet heart of the story.
“A Christmas Carol” is kind of a tale of two moods: the festive Christmas side and the harrowing ghost story that Scrooge must endure in the middle of the play. This production finds a way to sew both halves together into one seamless quilt. The scenic design brings to life the streets and homes of mid-19th-century London (thanks to designer D. Martin Bookwalter) but the lighting design by Andrew David Ostrowski is what really sets the tones, shifting between shadowy blues and dancing colors duing the haunting scenes and warm brightness for the holiday events.
The Dickensian Christmas aesthetic has become fairly popular, and for good reason. Especially when it comes to the style. Costume designer Mariann Verheyen, as well as hair, wig and makeup designer Travis D. Klingler, transformed the extneisve cast into perfect sketches in long dresses, overcoats and excellent hats.
Director and choreographer Scott Evans had a whole carousel of scenes to put together, and each of them go off without a hitch in this production. But he also gets a huge hand from music director Robert Neumeyer, whose Pittsburgh CLO Orchestra not only pipes in the dulcet tones of carols including “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Good King Wenceslas” but also provides ominous tones and sweeping sounds for the show’s darkest moments.
Walking out of the theater after the curtain call, I heard one audience member joyously exclaim, “It’s officially the holidays now!” And that’s how it felt — even for those of us who may have our own Scrooge-like tendencies at times. There’s no resisting the charm and holiday glow of this production.
Pittsburgh CLO’s “A Musical Christmas Carol” will run through Dec. 23 at the Byham Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh. For tickets, visit pittsburghclo.org.