A Christmas Carol

Posted by Lori Henry Dec 3, 2006

The opening night of A Christmas Carol began with a bang as the white curtain covering the carolers was suddenly dropped. The lights came up and the fun began on a perfectly snowy Vancouver night.

James Fagan Tait’s production of the show keeps the dark humour but adds lots of devilish fun. The staging is done in such a way that all actors are also doubling as furniture.

They move around the space and fill in the stage with their bodies. Two people, for instance, stand in as Scrooge’s bed, which he then proceeds to lie upon. Dubbed as “poor theatre,” it is refreshing to see this technique used by such a large theatre company.

The set is a simple white backdrop sheet from the back of the stage to its tip, with live musicians playing on the sides. The cast fills in the rest, playing all characters of this much-loved classic while also delivering the choral speeches and songs in Joelysa Pankanea’s electrifying score.

Lighting design takes its cue from Itai Erdal, lighting most of the show from the side and back to create the heightened atmosphere of the play. The shadows provide haunting glimpses into the characters complex faces. The appearance of the show is stunning.

The cast fleshes out this unique take on a favourite with absolute perfection. Alex Diakun (of TV’s Da Vinci’s Inquest-fame) plays Scrooge, and some of Vancouver’s hottest stage talent chip in: Patti Allan, Camyar Chai, Aidan Drummond, Dean Paul Gibson, Andrew McNee, Tom Pickett, Sarah May Redmond, Kyle Rideout, Donna Soares and Maiko Bae Yamamoto.

Don’t miss out on this exhilarating run.

The Vancouver Playhouse

November 25-December 23, 2006

December 2- Pay-what-you-can Matinee

December 4 & 12- Post-show Q&A session with cast

December 6, 13 & 14- Tea Matinees (tea 1 pm, curtain 2pm)

December 9- Olay Definity Salon Saturday with playwright and director James Faga Tait (1 pm)

NOTE: December 5 evening performance is sold out

www.vancouverplayhouse.com for more information.