Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has been retold in dozens of stage and screen adaptations, but never one from Jacob Marley’s deceased point of view. Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s current reprise of Tom Mula’s “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” intersects with Dickens’ version, but supplies a unique spin.
This is theater that doesn’t try to rival extravagant stage productions or film. Director Rachel Carter stages the piece sparely on simple platforms and black cubes, against a scrim of shifting neon colors.
CAST
Only four actors make it all spring to life, and all are required to hop instantly back and forth between dialogue, characters and intricate narrative. Doug Van Liew reprises his role as Marley in a simple but affecting style. Always understated, his tall, arresting presence often carries the message through a stoop of the shoulders or a slitted side glance.
Bonnie Montgomery is delightful, and David Mays again proves his versatility and physical range. Joshua Irick makes Scrooge grumpily interesting, but although his presence looms as large as Marley’s, he could be a more worthy adversary.
If you are weary of the same plays each holiday season, “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” is a smart respite from too much tinsel. Beautiful language and an offbeat approach conspire to show us an inspiring universal message: When we open our hearts even a crack, we can discover the golden core that binds us all together as one.
“?Linda McDonald
This article appears in Dec 19-25, 2007.