‘Christmas Carol’ coming to the Perot
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A-timeless holida y classic c omes t o the P erot T heatre at 7:30 p .m. on S aturday, Dec. 21 , with the P alace Theatre’s touring production of a musical v ersion of “A Christmas Carol.”
The P alace T heatre is a N ew Hampshire-based theat er c ompany that’ s made a name f or itself with its annual pr oduction of “A Christmas C arol” the p ast do zen years, so much so the y decided to take it out on the road this year for the first time.
“We’ve done it her e for 12 years, and it’ s g rown and g rown and grown,” s aid Chris Lock wood, marketing dir ector for the P alace Theatre.
Taking its cue fr om Char les Dickens’ original, clas sic tale, this musical v ersion of “A Christmas Tale” is the st ory of Ebenez er Scrooge’s redemption.
“It’s a timeless story that ther e’s always been g reed, there’s always been poverty and suf fering, and I think this story does a great job of showing that people can chang e,” Lockwood s aid, calling it a g reat story for 1840 or 2013.
“He does ha ve this transformation of considering his fellow man, ” Lock wood s aid about Scrooge’s chang e of heart, w hich arises aft er he meets those thr ee ghosts of Christmas: P ast, Present and Future.
This v ersion, both adapt ed and directed by the company’s artistic director Carl Rajotte, differs from the P alace’s home pr oduction in that it can ’t utilize all of the man y local childr en w ho p articipate in the c ompany’s homet own sho w. Otherwise, this sho w is “basically the s ame a ward-winning sho w that we’ve been running here over a decade,” Lockwood says.
The sho w’s also Rajotte’ s o wn adaptation, and he choreographed the production.
“We’ve just tak en some liberties and f ormed it int o a musical and added some danc e number s, as w ell,” Lock wood s aid, adding, “Everything is original from us.”
He s ays audienc es will see Broadway-level talent at a mor e affordable rate for the quality.
“Another selling point on this tour is that all of our actors are from New York,” Lockwood said of the talent—whether it’s Broadway or off-Broadway. After all, the Palace Theatre’s competition is in New York and Boston.
“Except you’re not paying Broadway prices,” he said of the Palace’s production.
Lockwood sees something timeless in this material, which works when paired with music. He notes how we still sing those old Christmas songs to celebrate the season.
“There’s so much great holiday music that you can incorporate into the show,” Lockwood said. But he also believes the music and dancing don’t take over the show. “It’s not forced,” he said.
The setting and costumes, each made by the theater company itself, also transport us back to the days of Victorian England, mid-1840s, says Lockwood.
“The production value is really, really good, and I think that the story itself is excellent. Carl does an amazing job of working the music and the choreography,” Lockwood said.
He says the Palace Theatre hopes people make this musical version of “A Christmas Carol” a new holiday tradition.
The cast numbers 22 performers with another 10 people working as support staff for the tour, which brings the Palace performers to destinations like New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Texas.
The Palace’s distinctions include being honored by the League of Historic American Theatres as the 2012 Outstanding Historic Theatre.
Rajotte’s other directing credits include “Chicago,” “Legally Blonde,” “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Guys and Dolls,” “CATS” and “Grease.”
(Tickets: $48, $42 and $32. Half-priced student discounts available in the balcony. More info and tickets: TRAHC.org or 903-792-4992.)