'A Christmas Carol': McCarter's Cash Cow?

If the audience member in front of you isn't breathing, it's usually cause for alarm. But at this past Sunday's performance of "A Christmas Carol," it wasn't a dead body sitting before me, but an American Girl doll watching attentively as its owner sat on her mother's lap. About a quarter of the audience at McCarter Theatre was under the age of 13, an anomaly at a venue that generally caters to 40-something subscribers. In the production of David Thompson's adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, children fill the stage as well, with a third of the nearly 40-person cast made up of pre-teens. From the iconic, lame-legged Tiny Tim to a reimagining of the Ghost of Christmas Past as a trio of young female sprites, children swamp the set, bringing more "awws" than "wows" to the performance.

My greatest gripe, though, is directed not at the adorable children, but at the oldest member of the cast: James Stephens, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge. Returning to the role he played in 2007, Stephens' performance seems stale. Admittedly, with opening night on Friday and two shows on both Saturday and Sunday, I probably saw him at his most tired. But exhaustion doesn't explain an inability to deliver a punch line. For example, after the ghost of Jacob Marley disappears through the wall and the musical underscore fades, the tension in the theater is thick. How will Scrooge respond to this unholy apparition? The script's answer, "It's the gruel," should humorously show just how cynical the businessman is. Instead, Stephens softens the line, adding pauses and repeating himself, butchering what should be a funny moment of released tension.

His comedic failings might be forgivable if he was an exceptional dramatic actor, but Scrooge's final transformation at the site of his gravestone is delivered with the same half-invested tone that he uses for all his lines. How are we to believe the smile on his face at the play's end if he never brought us to an emotional climax? While Scrooge is indeed a cynical and melancholy character, the actor must bring a sense of energy to his performance - or at least make his transformation meaningful.

The energy and stage presence of the Fezziwig family, played by Bill Buell and Michele Tauber, stand in stark contrast to the lackluster Scrooge. Only 30 seconds into Buell's first entrance, I turned to my date and asked, "Why isn't Fezziwig playing Scrooge?"

So why isn't Scrooge better? Because Stephens can get away with it. There's no need for him to over-exert himself, since the audience is going to love the production no matter what. The sets are massive, the costumes are colorful, the dance numbers are expertly choreographed and the special effects are entertaining (talking doorknockers, projected ghosts and a flying Scrooge, oh my!).

"A Christmas Carol" has become equated with Christmas itself, and no one wants to be disappointed by Christmas. Audiences will love the production because they want to love it. The final scene between Scrooge and Tiny Tim, no matter how disappointing I found the acting, will still give me goosebumps because I let it. I'm not sure whether it's manipulative, and I don't really care. There are some moments when cynicism willfully fades away and even the harshest critic has to smile, turned into a child once more.

3.5 PAWS

Pros: Scrooge soars to new heights!