Familiar face of ‘A Christmas Carol’ returns to Meadow Brook Theatre

For 14 years, Thomas D. Mahard has dazzled Meadow Brook Theatre audiences with his performance of Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.”

And he’ll be doing it again this year as the show runs through Dec. 24.

These days, he has a different way to prepare himself for acting the miserly character created by Charles Dickens.

“For years, I approached the beginning of (the) play thinking of all terrible things that happened in Scrooge’s life,” said the former Flint resident who moved to Natick, Massachusetts. “Just like everybody’s life, there are things that happen around the holidays that make us not as happy as other people. Scrooge’s sister died, (his business partner) Marley died, and (as a boy) he was left at school by himself. They make him cringe when he hears a Christmas carol on the street.”

Lately, Mahard has decided to focus on the positive things in the character’s life.

“He did have some good times when he was younger — tremendous joy, happiness, and love.” As a result, he said: “I was a much nicer person to be around when I wasn’t on stage. Also, on stage, I would think about what it would be like to lose the good things. That’s where I found the pain and the grumpiness of Scrooge that is prevalent in the play.”

The recent death of his wife also has affected his performance. “My wife passed away in January (2023), and it’s been a whole different year for me in a lot of ways,” he said. “It’s funny how I hear lines differently on stage because of that. There’s a lot of talk about loss in play.”

Mahard has acted in more than 75 plays at Meadow Brook, and 37 of those were in “A Christmas Carol.”

“It’s my favorite role,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll compare it to a Greek drama. The main character is pursued by supernatural forces which help him to change. It’s the classic setup for Greek drama. It’s beautifully written. I think Charles Nolte’s adaptation is one of best I’ve ever seen in terms of being truthful to the book and capturing (the) spirit and joy of Dickens.”

Over the years, there have been minor changes to the production, he said. “A couple of years ago, someone realized that it wasn’t safe to carry candles up to Scrooge’s bedroom, where we had a gunpowder mixture (also called a flash pot) for the explosion that helps Marley to disappear. It produces a big boom and flash of light. We’re doing it with artificial candlelight controlled by remote control.”

Tickets for “A Christmas Carol,” $36-$49, are available by calling the Meadow Brook box office, 248-377-3300 or online at ticketmaster.com. Groups of eight or more may call 248-3703316. Children, ages 5 to 12, will be admitted half-price Fridays through Sundays. The theater is located at 378 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester.