Christmas time is here?
Scrooge (Loren Taylor) is taken to task by the “Xmas Presents” (Aaref Rodriguez, Cathleen Meredith and Drajen Misirlic) in Doris Baizley’s spun A Christmas Carol.
Hard to believe it, but the holiday season is already upon us. The signs are all there—store displays, house lights, Toys ‘R’ Us catalogs, and, of course, the perennial productions of A Christmas Carol. This year, though, most of the theaters are opting for something a little different—STC is offering Cinderella, the B Street Theatre’s Buck Busfield is penning his annual quirky holiday play, the Actor’s Workshop is gearing up for a new Dave Pierini special and the Foothill Theatre Company is staging Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales And even though River Stage is billing its production as A Christmas Carol, Artistic Director Frank Condon is quick to point out that this version puts a twisted spin on the old Dickens’ chestnut.
“This is an adaptation of the classic,” Condon says. “It’s not as stodgy as some of the other Christmas Carols. The story’s basically the same, but it’s about an itinerant Comedia del Arte troupe who arrives to produce the play, but is missing one Scrooge.”
Out of the troupe’s huge trunk tumble clowns, jugglers, musicians and singers who spill onto the stage “whirling and dancing non-stop,” says Condon, describing River Stage’s first-ever holiday offering. “We think this will be more accessible to younger kids because of the theatricality, and adults will appreciate that we still stay true to the spirit of the story. Overall, it captures the magic of theater while capturing the beauty of the tale.”
A Christmas Carol runs through Dec. 17 at River Stage, Cosumnes River College, 8401 Center Parkway. Previews ($5) are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16 and 17. Opening night is 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. The production continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $10-$14. 691-7364.
—Patti RobertsHard to believe it, but the holiday season is already upon us. The signs are all there—store displays, house lights, Toys ‘R’ Us catalogs, and, of course, the perennial productions of A Christmas Carol. This year, though, most of the theaters are opting for something a little different—STC is offering Cinderella, the B Street Theatre’s Buck Busfield is penning his annual quirky holiday play, the Actor’s Workshop is gearing up for a new Dave Pierini special and the Foothill Theatre Company is staging Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales And even though River Stage is billing its production as A Christmas Carol, Artistic Director Frank Condon is quick to point out that this version puts a twisted spin on the old Dickens’ chestnut.
“This is an adaptation of the classic,” Condon says. “It’s not as stodgy as some of the other Christmas Carols. The story’s basically the same, but it’s about an itinerant Comedia del Arte troupe who arrives to produce the play, but is missing one Scrooge.”
Out of the troupe’s huge trunk tumble clowns, jugglers, musicians and singers who spill onto the stage “whirling and dancing non-stop,” says Condon, describing River Stage’s first-ever holiday offering. “We think this will be more accessible to younger kids because of the theatricality, and adults will appreciate that we still stay true to the spirit of the story. Overall, it captures the magic of theater while capturing the beauty of the tale.”
A Christmas Carol runs through Dec. 17 at River Stage, Cosumnes River College, 8401 Center Parkway. Previews ($5) are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Nov. 16 and 17. Opening night is 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. The production continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $10-$14. 691-7364.
