Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again
When you’re talking about a theater that is “internationally renowned for the development of new plays and musicals (including 120 world premieres)”, I guess we playgoers must learn to expect at least occasional weirdness. After all, 42 Tonys and 36 productions that move to Broadway have to impress.
So this Christmas season, La Jolla Playhouse is entitled to mount a play with the absurd title “Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again.”
Yup, that’s what they call it. And no, they didn’t make it up, though it is a world premiere by a real playwright named Anna Ouyang Moench.
The action we see takes place at a theater, in the lounge behind the play area, and the characters go there in between their stage action.
The show has its charms. The cast of six plays a total of ten characters, from ancient old white-haired Scrooge (Marco Barricelli) to the charming young Cratchit daughter Lucy (played by Juliet Brett) and her mother Mrs. Cratchit (Maria Elena Ramirez). Three other actors called Fred (Tomas Roldan), Eddie (Miles G. Jackson) and Bob Cratchit (Tony Larkin) round out the cast, playing various parts.
The action shows us what actors do when they’re not onstage, and tells us what they talk about. What they do, largely, is try to impress each other with their educational experience or parts they’ve played (and where, which seems to matter to them).
As expected, Barricelli’s Scrooge in his big red Santa costume makes lots of comments, at the end making a somewhat surprising one as he passes on his black hat to the next Scrooge.
The show is fun, as all sorts of possibilities, personal and professional, are discussed. And the kids Juliet Brett’s Cratchit daughter Lucy tosses in some startling dance routines.
This is a pleasant Christmas outing. Just be aware, if you are driving, that you will be required to exit through a road that takes you someplace I would never have been able to get home from. But maybe I’m just a lousy driver (not).
“Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again” runs through a Nov. 27 matinee at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive.
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