Sage’s ‘Christmas Carol’ a very fine production

TROY, N.Y. » Very often the best Christmas presents are those that are unexpected. This is the case of a very fine production of “A Christmas Carol” at Russell Sage College.

One would reasonably expect that a production of the beloved Christmas tale made up entirely of students, including a 21 year old Scrooge, would be – at best – tepidly interesting. But the Sage production is a pleasant, focused and well-performed effort that should hold the interest of anyone from the age of 3-80. I speak from experience, as I attended the show with a pair of girls age 3-6, who chatted about it all the way home.

Playing Scrooge is Lucas Phayre-Gonzales, who wisely does not try to play old. Instead he plays a young man with a corrupted soul and a hard heart. His choice makes the point that the worship of material goods and the abandonment of charity is not only a flaw of the elderly. Phayre-Gonzales’ intelligent performance points out the story is indeed universal, and as timely as it’s ever been.

The young actor is able to modulate his performances to make believable his gradual changes over the night. Warned by Jacob Marley (a forceful Xavier Aleman) Scrooge stubbornly rejects the plea to change his ways delivered by his former partner.

When visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present (a firm, focused and articulate KD McTeigue), Scrooge learns to understand the cruelty of the world that he blocks from his life. The Ghost of Christmas Past (a luminous Jane Petruncola) shows the isolated man the love he rejected throughout his life. The ominous Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (a silent giant) illustrates to Scrooge the consequences of a solitary life.

Director David Baecker stages each of these scenes placing Scrooge on the periphery of the action, permitting Phayre-Gonzales’ reactions to register the impact of the moment. It’s another wise choice, among many for Baecker who gives his cast permission to play the spirit of the play as much as they do the words of the story.

Technical support is excellent. William Spencer Musser’s set design is mobile, functional and mood setting. Lynne Roblin’s costumes are of the period and character appropriate, and Robert Brisson’s lights (and fog) are hugely important to setting the mood of the story.

If you go, especially if you take youngsters, it is important they be familiar with the tale beforehand. David Bunce’s adaptation is excellent at capturing the key moments with the story, but to get it to 80-minutes without an intermission there is no way it can capture the complexities and emotional depth of Dickens’ writing.

Also, while the young cast is wildly uneven, they each serve their character. Another hindrance is the use of English accents which makes it difficult to understand every word.

“A Christmas Carol” plays at the Schact Fine Arts Center on the campus of Russell Sage College in Troy. Public performances are Friday to Sunday. Morning student performances run through December 14. For tickets and schedule information, call (518) 244-2248 or go to tickets.sage.edu