GLTG’s quirky ‘Christmas Carol’ an acquired taste

Cast in Chardon production help make play-within-a-play structure fun

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is the broccoli of Christmas theater. You may not always want it, but you need it. You either embrace it and cover it with cheese, or choke it down.

“A Christmas Carol” with a twist, in this case, impresses the youth but can leave the grown-ups scratching their heads.

Geauga Lyric Theater Guild rolled the dice and produced an adapted version, by Doris Baizley, of a story we all can recite by heart. Given that the name on the playbill is the same as the original tale, it can leave you dizzy when the changes begin in the opening scene. (For instance, why are there clowns?)

The idea is slightly meta: a play within a play. A stage manager (Bob Kenderes) oversees a traveling theater company. He begins organizing their production of “A Christmas Carol,” only to find he’s missing a Scrooge and a Tiny-Tim. Left with no other options, he plays the role of Scrooge himself and hires the propgirl (Grace Gannon) as Tiny Tim.

Kenderes, as the stage manager and Scrooge, and Gannon, as the prop girl and Tiny Tim, are the best aspects of the show. Kenderes is a natural actor and is the glue that holds the show together. Believable and fun, he’s endearing, too.

Gannon easily could be a child-actor in a Hallmark flick. She was born to play an adorable Christmas kid, this one, of course, helping to melt the heart of grumpy old Scrooge. The only way to improve her role would be to give her more lines and time in the spotlight. She truly shines.

Another stand-out performer is Brittany Shrake, who portrays Mrs. Cratchit. Shrake also plays several other roles in the show, including the “leading lady” and the Ghost of Christmas Past. But her role as Mrs. Cratchit is the one that draws the most attention. She gives a convincing and heart-aching performance in the scene where (spoiler-alert) Tiny Tim dies in Scrooge’s dream. She appears to employ real tears during her weeping. The scene may be brief, but her talent is clear.

Overall, it feels a bit like reinventing the wheel. There are moments of forced comedy, and the plot is a bit hard to follow, especially because the original story is stuck in your head. Even with all the new elements — they aren’t really that new considering Doris Baizley cranked this adaptation out in 1991 — you can feel the magic of Christmas in this production thanks to the sincerity in the actors. Plus, clowns or no clowns, we can always use a reminder to be less Scrooge-y.

Not to sound Scrooge-y, but odds are you may end up wishing this play was the real thing from 1843. But the good news is, your kids won’t know the difference.

SUBMITTED Nadia Wheeler and Bob Kenderes are cast members in the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild production of “A Christmas Carol.”