CHASING GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS
Central Florida’s Phantasmagoria troupe has become a Halloween staple with annual spooky storytelling performances. Now, the group of actors, dancers, aerialists and puppeteers is set to put a little ho-ho-horror in your Christmas.
Today, Phantasmagoria will begin a four-county Central Florida tour of its latest production, a re-telling of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Well, it is a ghost story, after all.
“We love doing Dickens to begin with,” says Phantasmagoria creator John DiDonna of Sanford. In Halloween shows, the troupe has performed the British author’s macabre stories, such as “Captain Murderer.” “We are approaching ‘A Christmas Carol’ in that style. What you see in October is what you’re going to see here.”
Written in 1843, “A Christmas Carol” has been adapted numerous times for stage and screen. In the story, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas after a series of ghostly visits.
DiDonna, who adapts the troupe’s works, is no stranger to “A Christmas Carol.” He has spent numerous seasons playing Scrooge in “Dickens by Candlelight,” a locally produced threeperson version of the tale. He’ll portray the miser once again in Phantasmagoria’s show – but differently.
“Scrooge is a little darker in our version,” DiDonna says. “I want to explore different facets of Scrooge.”
Daniel Cooksley, a veteran of Theatre Downtown, Mad Cow Theatre and other local produc-
tions, will join the troupe to play Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s long-suffering clerk. Other key roles will be played by Phantasmagoria regulars, including Brenna Arden as Mrs. Cratchit and Bill Warriner as the Ghost of Christmas Present.
The story’s other ghosts will be represented by puppets. Be prepared: They may induce a chill down your spine.
“Every time I say the show might be getting too scary, the others say ‘John, that’s the book!’” DiDonna relates with a laugh. “Everyone forgets that Charles Dickens was a very dark person.”
Beyond puppeteered ghosts, the production has other tricks up its sleeve.
“We’re choosing scenes that aren’t always done,” DiDonna says. Among them: the interlude that shows Scrooge what became of his one-time girlfriend, Belle.
The production also boasts projections, sound effects and more bells and whistles than a usual show.
Branching out to the Christmas season gives the ensemble a chance to stretch its wings.
“We want to try new things, we want to explore new things,” DiDonna says.
One new thing: For the first time, the cast will all sing in a show together. Jami-Leigh Bartschi, a music teacher who wrote the musical “My Dear Watson,” is providing vocal coaching.
“It’s been an interesting learning experience,” said DiDonna, who also chairs Valencia College’s theater department. “There are definitely a lot of us who can sing.”
The growing popularity of Phantasmagoria, which debuted in 2010, led to offers from all around Central Florida to host “A Christmas Carol.” The show will first play at Orlando’s Lowndes Shakespeare Center before traveling to the Athens Theatre in DeLand, the Bay Street Players’ State Theatre in Eustis and finally the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in Sanford.
DiDonna thinks he understands the enduring appeal of “A Christmas Carol.”
“There are moments of laughter, of joy, of grief,” he says. “It’s definitely Dickens.”
He hopes the Phantasmagoria twist can provide a new way to experience an old favorite.
“It’s taking the traditional and tweaking it through our lens,” DiDonna says.
So be ready for a thrill or two.
“Depending on how you adapt it,” DiDonna warns, “‘A Christmas Carol’ can be a nice little cartoon or a terrifying tale.”