This review aired on KBAQ December 14, 2009

 

NOTHING BETTER THAN ACTORS THEATRE’S “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” BUT DREADFUL “MIRACLE ON 34^TH STREET” AT THEATER WORKS

 

”A CHRISTMAS CAROL”

Actors Theatre, Herberger Theater Center

Phoenix, AZ

 

and

 

“MIRACLE ON 34^TH STREET”

Theater Works

Peoria, AZ

 

There’s nothing better to get you in the holiday spirit than Actors Theatre’s feisty, splashy, and lavish “A Christmas Carol.” Now in its 18^th season, it is filled with seasonal magic and winning original and traditional tunes, in a clever musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ tale of bah-humbugging Ebenezer Scrooge. He starts as a grouchy curmudgeon who hates Christmas but, after his enlightening Christmas Eve dream, he awakes to embrace the holiday. He helps his poor but happy assistant, Bob Cratchit, and his family including physically challenged Tiny Tim.

 

This season’s version is every bit as rewarding as it’s always been. There’s nothing new in Matthew Wiener’s exemplary staging and this year’s cast, with few new faces, is outstanding.

 

Kim Bennett’s masterful Scrooge shifts believably from gruff to fun-loving. David Barker is particularly pointed and tart as Christmas Present, the character who most helps Scrooge see the evils of his ways.

 

Dark sets slide and glide into place reflecting 19^th century England’s harsh atmosphere but bright period costumes add color. The special effects are wonderful. On opening night several technical glitches were handled by the cast with professional sheen.

 

In an effort to see different holiday shows, I saw Theater Works “Miracle on 34^th Street.”  This stage version of the novel about Kris Kringle, an elderly man who thinks he’s Santa Claus, was created by Andrea Roberton. Her dreadful adaptation and meandering staging doom this holiday classic. Roberton doesn’t understand that you can’t include all of the novel’s endless detail. At almost three deadly slow hours, this version includes many unnecessary scenes.

 

Kringle plays Santa at New York City’s Macy’s. At first, they fear he’s crazy until his ideas spark customer interest and loyalty. A secondary plot involves a Macy’s employee, Doris, a divorcee with a child who doesn’t believe in Christmas. Doris, who hired Kringle, fears any involvement with men even though her neighbor, Fred, is the perfect match.   

 

Extraneous songs stolen from other sources do nothing to progress the plot or tell us anything new about the characters. The leads are passable except for Fred Bornhoeft’s marvelous Kringle. Clumsy set changes take forever and recorded music fails to add spark. “Miracle on 34^th Street” is a valiant effort but the old film version is better.

 

Actors Theatre’s marvelous “A Christmas Carol” remains the Valley’s most outstanding holiday production. It continues through December 24. For tickets, call the Herberger Theater Center box office at 602-252-8497 or order online at www.actorstheatrephx.org. Theater Works listless “Miracle on 34^th Street” continues through December 20. For tickets, call the Theater Works box office at 623-815-7930 or order online at www.theaterworks.org.  

 

Grades:

 

A - “A Christmas Carol”

D – “Miracle on 34^th Street”