SAMPLE REVIEWS

A CHRISTMAS CAROL IS HEARTWARMING HOLIDAY TREAT

Fayetteville Flyer, Michelle Parks, 12/06/13

A few folks braved the cold temperatures and sleet-covered roads Thursday night for the preview performance of A Christmas Carol at Nadine Baum Studios. Sleet faintly plinking on the building’s metal roof added to the authenticity of this original adaptation of a holiday classic.This is the third show of TheatreSquared’s eighth season. It was wonderfully adapted and directed by Morgan Hicks, who also serves as director of education and program development for TheatreSquared. The basics are very familiar to anyone who’s seen the many film and other incarnations of the Charles Dickens tale, originally published as a novella 170 years ago. But this stage performance is particularly intimate with a very special heart. It is a touching treat, perfect for the entire family this holiday season.
Running just under 90 minutes with no intermission, it’s a condensed version of the well-known story. But the highlights are all there, the critical pieces that connect the memorable characters and pivotal events for the overall message.Speaking directly to the audience, as they would throughout the show, the characters early on emphasized that Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge’s former business partner, was dead. Otherwise, they assured, none of the rest of their tale would make sense.Scrooge is, of course, the notoriously cranky and miserly businessman whose heart is hardened and cold, with a “humbug” attitude toward Christmas. His employee, Bob Cratchit, is underpaid and underappreciated as he works by candlestick for warmth.
On Christmas Eve, seven years after Marley’s death, Marley’s ghost confronts Scrooge while he sleeps. Scrooge doesn’t believe he’s seeing Marley’s ghost, blaming the apparition instead on undigested food.Marley, burdened by heavy chains that represent mistakes and missteps in his life, warns Scrooge to make different choices while he still can, to avoid a similarly miserable afterlife. He tells Scrooge that three more ghosts will visit him during the night, showing him scenes from the Christmases of his past, his present and his potential future.
The ghost showing Scrooge the past arrives under a bright light, donning a simple white robe. Wearing his dressing gown and slippers, Scrooge joins the ghost for a trip through his childhood and young adulthood. He sees that relationships and joyful moments can bring more happiness than the money and success he’s focused on.As Scrooge recalls and reflects on his life, this show raises the questions: What is the real value of happiness? And what is the true cost of living without it?  The ghost illustrating the present wears a fur-topped cape and a crown of glittery holly leaves. He’s cheerful and constantly chuckling, which annoys Scrooge. He shows Scrooge the joy that Bob Cratchit’s family finds despite their modest means and their sickly boy, Tiny Tim.
Some versions of this tale are dire, scary and depressing, despite the ultimate uplifting message. But this one has humor woven throughout, with a spirit and a hope that are tangible. There are moments of pure silliness, like the way the Cratchit family literally dives in and devours their feast of roast goose, cleaning the carcass.
Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, has unrelentingly tried to connect to Scrooge by inviting him to spend Christmas with his family each year. As the ghost and Scrooge visit Fred’s home, Scrooge sees what he’s missing by shunning his only real family.The ghost revealing what is yet to be doesn’t speak to Scrooge, and only uses gestures. Shown his tombstone, Scrooge realizes that no one will be saddened by his death when it comes.As Scrooge tries to make sense of the things he’s been shown in the night, he asks the ghost if the scenes show things that will be or that only might be. Then, Scrooge falls to his knees in desperation, resolving to do things differently.
In just that one night, filled with dark, shadowed dreams, Scrooge is changed. Come daylight on Christmas Day, he is as giddy as a child for the chance to set some things right. He buys a huge turkey and sends it anonymously to the Cratchit home, then finally accepts the invitation to join his nephew, Fred, for the holiday celebration. He is welcomed with open arms.
This cast of eight does a wonderful job of portraying the major characters as well as various ensemble members. As a particularly delightful treat, the use of instruments was woven into this telling of the story — from hand bells to fiddle and guitar, all played by cast members.
The costumes and accents easily place the audience in Victorian Era England. And the set design is perfect for the look and function of this show, with a staircase leading to an elevated walkway. Screened partitions on each side allow figures and shapes to be backlit, creating silhouettes from the shadows cast. Shadows include the face of Marley’s ghost in the door knocker and the turkeys that hang in a shop window.
These real shadows are also metaphors in this story. The shadows are what trail behind someone’s choices and actions, the wake and impression made by their life.
These shadows are also the things that haunt us. They are decisions that once made — for good or bad results — stay with us. There is no chance to undo them. In this story, Scrooge is given a chance, not to correct the past but to change his course and alter his future. That is also a chance we all have, if we’re willing.

THEATRESQUARED’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Arkansas Traveler, Julia Trupp, 12/21/2013

When I got to my seat at Nadine Baum Studios for “A Christmas Carol,” I felt as if I had gone back in time. The play opened with the ensemble at the top of the staircase after coming inside from a snowy evening, and they were bundled in bonnets, top hats, and the appropriate Victorian dress.
They lifted booklets that were attached to the banister and raised the accompanying bells in a wave-like pattern. One by one, the bells rang, and soon, the choreography of each ringing bell played a beautiful Christmas song; this continued throughout the play, and towards the end, “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” was not only played with the bells but sung in a Christmas caroler fashion. The innovation to open with the musical bells was a beautiful idea that cast a warm and fuzzy feeling into the audience.
The set was seamless. The wooden staircase was simple enough to switch settings -- in certain scenes, we would be in Scrooge and Marley’s office; at others we would be traveling through time with each of the Christmas ghosts. Besides the mental interchangeability of the set, one of my favorite parts of the set was the transition to the Cratchits’ home.
The space underneath the grand staircase opened up to reveal a curtain, of which the Cratchit family would make their entrance through with a single table and stove to transform the cold living space of Scrooge into the warm, loving home of Bob Cratchit (played by Nate Stahlke, who was a perfect Bob Cratchit) and his family.
The play lasted ninety minutes without an intermission, and throughout the entire hour and a half, one of the best scenes was definitely Marley’s entrance. Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Jeffrey Baumgartner, had just nestled into bed after a typical day of work, and was taking all the “Humbugs!” he had given out during the day with him to sleep.
The ensemble narrated the next occurrences, and they did so in such a haunting way, I was scared for Scrooge. The ensemble members gathered around the bed whispering and murmuring “Scrooge!” while ringing the bells to make clock chiming noises. Their eerie calls led the ghost of Jacob Marley, played by Bryce Kemph, across the floor above. The noises in the room faded once Scrooge caught sight of the spirit staring at him from the top of the staircase.
Marley sauntered down the stairs, chains clinking against each step passed. The actual chains caused an even more intense eeriness in the room. At one point, Marley was shuffling about the space as Scrooge denied his existence, claiming “There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!" Half a second after this was spoken, Marley’s ghost turned around abruptly and ran towards Scrooge, screaming as he approached him.
When watching movie adaptations. I have the comfort of hiding behind a huge blanket on the couch with my family. During this live show, I had only the scarf around my neck and the purse on my lap to nuzzle my face into, as well as a few rows of patrons in front of me to separate me farther from the ghost of Marley. I give the young children seated in the front row that night many props, for that scene was incredibly frightening and very well done.
Once the three spirits started making their appearance, I was not sure how they would portray Scrooge traveling through time, but they did a wonderful job. With each past place visited, aside from the young child Scrooge was, Baumgartner played the Scrooge who worked with Fezziwig and also the Scrooge who was released from engagement with a previous beau. During Fezziwig’s Christmas party, Scrooge was lively, a young apprentice who enjoyed his job, and as dancing happened, the Ghost of Christmas Past joined in, and that was very enjoyable to watch.
After the happenings with the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge was fed up with being visited already, and wanted to sleep. He would not get too much of it though because the next spirit to visit was the Ghost of Christmas Present, and as it seems in other adaptations, this spirit was a show-stealer. Scrooge was hesitant to take hold of the ghost’s arm after the last “outing,” but the Ghost of Christmas Present was a jolly fellow, laughing incessantly.
As they traveled through the sky, each spin the characters would do about the stage would lead them to a new place, such as looking into a house with a lovely Christmas dinner. The best line that the spirit had though was when he spun Scrooge around once more during their travels and said, “And then I said to the Ghost of Christmas Past, you don’t control me!” He definitely lightened the story’s mood and the character was excellent.
Jenny Guy was one of the ensemble members (she also played Scrooge’s previous love, Belle), and was dynamic. Each ensemble character she played had a bit of sass, but she never failed to let the audience know her character was different with each entrance. She seemed to carry the energy on stage with her for the entire company and radiated across the playing space.
Watching Scrooge’s transformation as the story played out was incredible. Baumgartner really captured the old humbug with such perfection; each stroll of Scrooge from young to old showed his age, hunched back and all, and he might have been one of the better Scrooges in modern day adaptations of Charles Dickens’ beloved tale. By the end of the play, Scrooge was an enlightened man, and like a lime-green disciple who would come into existence many years after his, Scrooge’s heart grew three sizes during his adventurous night.
Before going home for the holidays, or if you are having family in town within the next few weeks, I highly recommend seeing “A Christmas Carol.” It was by far one of the best adaptations I have had the privilege of seeing, and each person involved with the production should be incredibly proud of their work. They delivered each line with such exquisiteness, I believe Charles Dickens himself could have sat in the audience and enjoyed the show as any other audience member would.

LAUGH ON/NOISES OFF

Fayetteville Flyer, Tobias Wray, 09/03/12

A classic comedic whirlwind from Michael Frayn, Noises Off, commences a very promising seventh season for TheatreSquared. A farce within a farce (lest we forget, all of the world is a stage…especially backstage), the opening act is the final dress rehearsal for the ridiculous (and fictional) touring comedy, “Nothing On.” The second and third acts have essentially the same plot – the actors performing the first scenes on an ill-fated tour of their show. The comedy is the unraveling control the characters have over their production – like in every good farce, everything eventually goes wrong.
I’ve been told that Noises Off is an actor’s play – something most theatre actors take a shine to because its premise is the comedic disaster that any theatrical production prays to avoid in putting on a show. On stage, they can live out the fantasy of their worst nightmare. And because theatre folk are just that way, they love it. Audiences do, too.
The magic of the play is in the limitless escalation of the catastrophe. Director Morgan Hicks, who also directed last season’s riotous Boeing-Boeing, handles the complex machinery of ever-increasing chaos well – by the end we are wading through pure disaster, unsurprisingly to hilarious effect.
Hicks has also cast a bubbling ensemble full to the brim with Fayetteville favorites and TheatreSquared alum. Faithful theatre-goers will recognize Erika Wilhite and Chris Crawford from their season-opener performances last year, as well as Kristopher Stoker from his turn in The 39 Steps the year before. Justin Cunningham, Jordan Haynes and Kathy Logelin are all returners, as well. And if this wasn’t enough to thrill local lovers of comedy, Mark Landon Smith, co-director of the comedy troupe Phunbags, plays the irreplaceable Selsdon.
I’m also particularly excited about the new faces to the T2 stage, the sexy Arianne Ellison and Sarah Jane Robinson, whose love-triangle with Cunningham’s Lloyd (fated director of this Titanic) underpins the absurdity. And, of course, in a play whose sole goal is to carefully redefine “unmanageable,” the mirror love-triangle between Wilhite’s doddering Dotty, Stoker’s Garry and Hayne’s innocent Freddy, is even more outrageous. But even these bedroom dramas are brushed aside for the upending death throes of their ultimate performance.
For me, the second act has it. The heart of the play famously turns to the backstage where the actors have finally reached a boiling point in their relationships along this harrowing tour. The first act cleverly disguises all of the necessary exposition for the successive breakdown of poor “Nothing On,” but doesn’t hold much else beyond character development. The second act steals all of the thunder from the third, by which time we are maybe overly prepared for what is to come.
Crawford’s and Logelin’s performances were especially well-grounded. One silent exchange between them, again in the second act, when Logelin’s Belinda gestures benevolently to Crawford’s overtaxed Tim was one of my favorite moments. But then there is so much action swirling on stage, that audience members will inevitably walk away with different moments to adore. I think the latter half of the Noises Off run could really be dangerous, once this sizeable and undeniably talented cast polishes the edges on this four-alarm romp. I’ll be seeing this one again.
It’s a madcap comedy where anything could happen. And let’s face it, we all need to dose up occasionally on vitamin pratfalls and gags just to get back to the nonsense of the real world a little more at ease.