I’m dreaming of a dark Christmas

9 Works brings holiday season classic to the BGC stage

9 WORKS’S Theatrical brings a timeless Charles Dickens classic on stage this Christmas.

A Christmas Carol, one of Dickens’ most familiar — and most often adapted works — works, was published in 1843. The novella is about a bitter old miser called Ebenezer Scrooge who hates Christmas. But after the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future pay him a visit one Christmas Eve, his eyes become open to the world and the true meaning of Christmas. For this holiday presentation, 9 Works partnered with Globe Live to make the grand production possible. The show is set to open on Dec. 3 at the Globe Iconic Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater, BGC, Taguig City, with the final show on Dec. 25.

Executive producer Santi Santamaria said during a press conference on Oct. 27 at The Loft Manansala Tower, Makati City, that the idea of staging it came up when he and his wife (Anna Santamaria) had their five-year-old daughter listen to the musical version of A Christmas Carol last December.

“She just liked it so much that it was already early April and I was still listening to the music of A Christmas Carol in the car because she just kept on playing and playing it,” he said. “She asked me if we could stage it on her birthday. I told her, ‘Baby it’s not that simple.’”

Mr. Santamaria said that they were working on what would be a successful production of Green Day’s American Idiot in July (it has received 10 nominations at the Philstage Gawad Buhay) and A Christmas Carol was not on their radar yet.

“But later on, when American Idiot was eventually a success, [and with] our partnership with Globe Live, Joe Caliro talked to me and asked me what were we mounting for our December show,” he said.

9 Works will adapt the version written by Tony Award nominee Mike Ockrent and Tony Award winner Lynn Ahrens, with music by Alan Menken (winner of 11 Grammys, eight Oscars, seven Golden Globes, the Olivier Award, the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and two Outer Critics Awards).

Globe Live CEO Mr. Caliro said the aim was introduce the story of A Christmas Carol to the Filipino millennials.

“As a Filipino... what is really interesting about it is that we are fanatics of Christmas. When we are at the malls, and there’s already Christmas stuff going on,” he said. “The real problem here is the millennials — they don’t even know who Charles Dickens is! But they know who Harry Potter is.”

The musical’s director Robbie Guevara said, will go for a “dark” production. He said: “When we pitched this to Joe, we had his full support. ‘Go Sweeney Todd all you want {referring to the Sondheim musical about a murderous butcher] , but there has to be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [ Roald Dahl’s children’s story] sometimes in the end or towards in the end — which is exactly why we arrived [with the idea of ] Harry Potter.’”

He said that Dickens’s tale was first and foremost a ghost story, which should not be interpreted as something forgettable or light.

“It’s going to be so scary to Scrooge that it changes him. He has to be so scared that he wants to become a better person and I constantly remind my cast on that,” Mr. Guevara said. “But what we really want to emphasize in this version is the darkness that was prevalent in London during that time... The misery of the Londoners at that time, the coldness of London, and the hardness of Scrooge’s experience has transformed him into what he had become.”

Mounting a production with over 30 performers in the cast is no easy task, he said, and would not be possible without the support from its partners and sponsors.

Theater veteran Miguel Faustmann leads the cast as Ebenezer Scrooge, joined by Ariel Reonal as Jacob Marley; Norby David, Franz Imperial, and Ela Lisondra as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future, respectively; Rocco Buser and Dewayde Dizon alternating as Tiny Tim, Raul Montesa as Bob Cratchit, Anna Santamaria as Mrs. Cratchit, Jun Ofrasio and Dawn Eduave as Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig.

Mr. Caliro noted that: “We are not in this to make money, we lose money. Just to be very clear. But we don’t look at it as losing money. We look at it as an investment in the brand and investment in the theater and our right to claim this thing. We could easily obtain that same amount of money if I wanted to support theater, I could sponsor an international tour. But what does it do in the country?”

He added, “If you have seen theater this season, everyone has been very professional, right? So we are trying to raise the bar of theater in the Philippines and we accept that challenge with A Christmas Carol.” — Camille Anne M. Arcilla