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A Christmas
Carol
Presented by:
Starlight
Theatre Co-op
Venue:
Centre Stage Theatre, Brisbane
Reviewer: Kellie Scott
Date Reviewed:
19th
November 2009
A Christmas Carol
could more or less be praised as a good show but one element
surpassed all the rest - its star.
Norman Doyle
absolutely encapsulated the “Bah! Humbug!” grump of Christmas,
Ebenezer Scrooge. He captured the essence of this character so well
it can only be described as a complete metamorphosis into the role.
On the night of Christmas Eve Scrooge is visited by
the ghost of his long-dead business partner, Jacob Marley. He warns
Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, and that if he
does not seize the opportunity to change, his soul will be forever
haunted by his life of greed and anti-Christmas spirit. A total
cynic, Scrooge and the spirits have a challenging task ahead. But
once visited by the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future,
Scrooge begins to question his life of selfishness, and soon changes
to be a kind, considerate and tender man who signifies the spirit of
Christmas.
Well-rounded performances, a nicely put-together and
attractive set, along with bold and eye-catching costumes allowed
this production to reach a sound level of theatrical quality.
However, while the show ran smoothly, some tidying would have
sharpened things up. There were often distractions from the central
theme of this classic when numerous unidentified characters would
appear for background presence only, reciting lines – that I’m
positive are all in the script – but tended to make little sense in
this production. Also, some cluttered action on stage at times made
things seem a little all-over-the-place. A more clean-cut display
would have brought the story better into focus.
Doyle
was a picture of Scrooge from his stance to his frown, and while he
stole the show there were some other good performances also. Gary
McEwen certainly had a great old-time look with his hair and
beard, and was hearty in his main role as Bob Cratchit. Scrooge’s
nephew was played well by Nick Hollamby, who also had
the stand-out voice among the singers, along with Kaisha-Lee
Durban. Chris Vaag as the ghost of Christmas present was
charmingly vibrant and eccentric.
As mentioned, set and costumes were a great success
thanks to Tim Wallace, Shane Rodwell and Que Bigg.
Attire was constantly changing to meet the needs of the show’s
enormous 70 roles. Bright colours and interesting designs looked
well-made and were consistent refreshment in scene changes.
This production is different. It brings something new
and interesting to the festive season that thankfully doesn’t
include too many carols or candle-light. I recommend it as a way to
kick-off the Christmas celebrations in 2009.
A Christmas Carol
is showing until the 5th of December. Bookings at
www.oztix.com.au.
Kellie Scott reviews for her website
www.brisbanecritiques.com, which was launched in October of
2008. Her reviews can also sometimes be found at
www.absolutetheatre.com.au. Previously her critiques for music
and film have been published in The Catholic Leader and The
Satellite newspapers. She is currently studying Journalism at
university, and hopes to use this to develop her writing skills,
focusing on becoming a professional critic in the future. If you
would like to contact Kellie, please email
kellie@brisbanecritiques.com.
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