From the Cincinnati Playhouse production of CHRISTMAS CAROL. Mark Mineart
as Mr. Fezziwig.
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From the Cincinnati Playhouse production of CHRISTMAS CAROL. Mark Mineart
as Mr. Fezziwig.
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Playhouse's 'Carol' is to all a good night
"A Christmas Carol is kind of like old home week at Playhouse in the Park. That's one of the reasons I love it.
For anyone who has never seen the Playhouse edition of Charles Dickens' glorious ghost story, it is a humdinger of a production.
As Scrooge's calcified soul comes back to life through journeys to his past, present and a future that could be, Carol is a balm to our souls. Not mindless but mindful as it urges audiences to celebrate the spirit of Christmas every day of the year.
Chances are you'll leave the theater resolved to do so.
Some of us return to A Christmas Carol every year, revelling in what doesn't change.
Here are some of my favorite things about this year's production:...My second favorite couple are Mark Mineart and Ms. Hodges as boisterous Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig. Mr. Mineart is also a suitably larger-the-life Ghost of Christmas Present.
Playhouse's 'Carol' is to all a good night."
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Excellent 'Carol' keeps the spirit.
"Children and grown-ups are always pushovers for A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park, now 10 years young.
Little ones like its magic, with the huge Victorian set pieces that speed about the stage and the eerie sounds that come at you from all over the theater. They like the lively music and dancing and the tale's thrilling darkness, leavened by Carol's rich vein of humor.
Grown-ups marvel at the quality of the production (the work by the design team resides in local theater's Hall of Fame.)
Too, we like to be reminded (and once a year is not too often) of the meaning of Christmas and the responsibilities of humankind. It's no bad thing to be persuaded that any cold heart and colder soul can be reclaimed.
This year I saw A Christmas Carol with a packed house of mostly high school students. High schoolers can be a very tough audience, because they're not inclined to fall victim to sentiment.
I am happy to report that by the end of Carol, they were whistling and cheering. They hadn't fallen victim to sentiment, they'd been caught up and enveloped by a very large heart.
A Christmas Carol is, of course, Charles Dickens' rip-roaring holiday ghost story about miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited one fateful Christmas Eve by a trio of spirits.
They respectively return him to his past, remind him of his present and warn him of the future and in so doing thaw his frozen heart.
Carol continues to be the most emotionally satisfying holiday entertainment, inviting both laughter and tears, thanks to the thoughtful direction of Michael Haney, who clearly celebrates the truth and wisdom of this grand holiday adventure. "
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