Scrooge is making a return to the Bangor Opera House after more than ten years, and Kenneth Stack is taking on the role of Charles Dickens’ beloved grumpy character for what he believes is the 24th time, with a fresh script.
This new version of “A Christmas Carol” by Lavina Jadhwani of Chicago features Scrooge surrounded by an ensemble of 11, including four children, who play all the other characters and narrate the story like a Greek chorus. First performed in Minneapolis in 2021, the production was warmly embraced by Sunday’s sold-out matinee audience, featuring local actors and visiting cast members.
The Penobscot Theatre Co. brought back the show for its 50th season after surveying theatergoers last season, listing it as the top non-musical they wanted to see revived. They also expressed a desire to see Stack back in the lead role. He last performed the show with Penobscot Theatre in 2020 for an online version during the pandemic.
Stack continues to bring new layers to Dickens’ classic “Bah, humbug” slinger. His vibrant performance convincingly portrays Scrooge’s transformation from a hard-hearted businessman to a considerate employer and generous soul. His encounters with the four ghosts are mesmerizing.
While the ensemble actors play many parts and a few instruments, those portraying the ghosts stand out as particularly memorable. Marley’s ghost (Jorge Donoso) terrifyingly informs Scrooge of his impending fate. Angela Bonacasa treats him tenderly, taking him back to a Christmas of his youth.
The Ghost of Christmas Present (Monika Vijay) charmingly leads him to the home of his clerk, Bob Cratchit, showing how the family celebrates despite challenges. The creepy Ghost of Christmas Future (Tina Munoz Pandya) reveals Scrooge’s lonely death.
Vijay, a talented seventh-grader, holds her own with adult performers, giving depth to her apparition character. Other students in the show include Maia Johnson, Michael Melia II, and Miles Green-Hamann. Other cast members are Aaron Kircheis, Rebekah Novak, Alan Liam Estes, and Jen Shepard, the theater’s executive director.
A technical standout is Kevn Jacob Koski’s costumes, especially those worn by the ghosts, delightfully dazzling and truly bringing the production to life. However, despite Scout Hough’s intense lighting design, the large but bareboned set, designed by Tony Adams of Deer Isle, seems at odds with the script. It doesn’t illustrate Dickens’ London conditions as effectively.
Jadhwani’s simplified “A Christmas Carol” is better suited for a small space like the Cyrus Pavilion at the University of Maine than the larger Bangor Opera House. Although the script has flaws, director Ethan Paulini lets the story unfold with love, dusting off Stack’s years of being Scrooge and delighting Bangor area theatergoers. Seeing Stack in the role again is as wonderful as reading Dickens aloud with friends and family around a warm hearth or watching “The Muppets Christmas Carol.”
“A Christmas Carol” will be performed through Dec. 24 at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. For information, call 942-3333 or visit penobscottheatre.org.
