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A Christmas Carol: Scrooge & Marley
Dickens' Classic Holiday Tale of Hope & Redemption
Dec. 20-28 8 PERFORMANCES!
Directed by Peter Frisch, Granada Executive Director
Adaptation by Israel Horovitz
Scenic Design by John Iacovelli
Lighting Design by Mark Somerfield
Costume Design by Ann Bruice
Original Composition & Soundscape by Randy Tico
Projection Design by Marc Rosenthal |
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In every sense of the word, a “new” holiday tradition begins in Santa Barbara this December with the debut of The Granada’s first self-produced theatrical presentation since re-opening this spring. A Christmas Carol: Scrooge & Marley, adapted by internationally acclaimed playwright Israel Horovitz, is by no means your typical holiday fare. In fact, the play’s director, Peter Frisch, Granada Executive Director and an accomplished director and producer in his own right, chose this version over nine others because “Horovitz does not soften the story by wrapping it in the sentimental, cute, gingerbread package” that many productions deliver to their patrons,” he says.
Frisch promises that The Granada’s production will explore hidden nuances of the popular story, but the evergreen plot essentially remains true to form: cold-hearted, Ebenezer Scrooge is forced to confront his bitter, self-involved existence by the ghosts of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and Christmases Past, Present and Future. Then Scrooge awakens Christmas morning with the hard-earned revelation that he must embrace compassion and a spirit for giving in order to redeem himself.
Frisch points to many factors that led him to choose this version. For one, the story is narrated by Marley. “Making Marley the narrator is such an organic thing to do, because he was Scrooge’s only friend. So it’s natural that Scrooge imagines him as the agent of redemption.
Of course, in life, Marley was as devoted to his work and a single-minded focus as Scrooge was.”
Exploring different perspectives is a theme of Frisch’s, whose vision of creating a more personal and dynamic performing arts experience led to the conception of The Granada’s enTRANCE THE SERIES. A Christmas Carol plays a pivotal part in that series. “It would be easy to do A Christmas Carol without asking any questions, making it fun and, well, ‘Christmassy’, but my firm belief is that when you really examine the story and take the text seriously, you come up with a real texture and a deeper meaning that will make for a much richer experience,” he says.
Creating this kind of experience doesn’t come without a certain level of risk, Frisch explains.
As The Granada’s first in-house production, he admits there is a lot riding on it. “It’s really the beginning of what could be a community, home-grown, home-produced theatrical life at The Granada. If this succeeds both artistically and financially, it will open the door to other in-house productions. It has always been important to The Granada that we foster and perpetuate excellence in the performing arts, and the way this is being cast, with top union people, top designers from stage and screen, high level production details, exceptional local and professional talent… the whole undertaking is designed for excellence.”
It’s this clear vision of promoting excellence in the arts that largely moved Frisch to adopt Horovitz’ version. He lauds the script for its “simple purity,” because it’s very true to Dickens’ original prose, leaving much of his great dialogue in tact. “Through this narrative, you can understand the dark landscape of the times in which the story was written. Horovitz captures the true, dirty, grimy, London of 1843.
“Really, this is not just a timeless story, but a very timely one as well. One only has to look at the greed rampant on Wall Street and in other financial circles around the globe, the kind of absurd leveraging that is going on to get the next dime. The system has to collapse, just like Scrooge’s psychological and emotional system collapses. A life devoted to the pursuit of wealth is not a human life. Without compassion and understanding, and reaching out to those less fortunate, it’s a very hard, cold and two-dimensional life. And really, in some wonderful place, in Scrooge’s subconscious, he knows that. That part of himself takes over that Christmas Eve. It scares him to revelation.”
Frisch will go beyond the literal treatment of Scrooge’s ghosts as “three people in sheets.” Because the adaptation embraces Dickens’ darker narrative, Frisch is able to take the audience to a deeper level. “Just the idea that all the action emerges from Scrooge’s mind, indicates that his subconscious has come back vengefully to set him straight. This opens the door to utilizing very theatrical, unconventional resources to tap into the imagination,” says Frisch. “Not to give up too much, but you’re going to see a giant panorama screen on which a whole series of moving projections will be designed, so that we will actually share in Scrooge’s experience.”
So important are the theatrical devices and production value in pulling off this presentation, that Frisch hand selected a group of acclaimed television, film and theatrical designers whose credits include major presentations at the Mark Taper Forum, A.C.T. San Francisco and South Coast Repertory Theatre in Orange County, to name a few.
“With appropriate directorial controls, you can affect people of any age in very similar ways,” he says. This is particularly important to him as it was vital that the story resonate with a child as much as it should with an adult. “The feelings are the same whether you’re 8 or 48. The difference with a child is that they’re always experiencing things for the first time, so it’s all even more impactful for them. It’s the 8-year-old who’s going to see something that’s going to expand their mind to the possibilities. I believe that a young person has a terrific intuition for storytelling, archetypes, fears, dreams… and that they’ll connect immediately to this presentation. The experience may be new to them, but they will integrate it immediately.
“You’re not going to have an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life unless you’re moved in some way. I want the child’s understanding, and the adult’s too, to be as thorough and as penetrating as it is for Scrooge. So that when the revelation happens, a real transformation happens for everyone in room. Scrooge is not just over there on stage, he is inside us. His journey is our journey. The more deeply triumphant Scrooge is in the end, the more fully the message is gotten across.”
To Frisch, it’s really as simple as taking a non-traditional approach to arrive at a very traditional message. “If I use traditional approaches, everyone could just nod off.” This holiday, the only one nodding off at The Granada will be Scrooge, and we all will discover how that turns out. |
