Broadway star Kevin McGuire returns to the Capital Repertory Theatre as Ebenezer Scrooge in Patrick Barlow’s rousing new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. McGuire – who founded the Theater Company at Hubbard Hall – was recently at theREP, playing artist Mark Rothko in John Logan’s critically-acclaimed Red and previously appeared as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. He plays a decidedly different Scrooge downtown, surrounded by actor/musicians who remember the fun found in the original tale.
Barlow, an English actor/comedian/playwright, is best known for his hit Broadway adaptation of the espionage thriller The 39 Steps. He has built a career on stripping stories down to their basics and finding frivolity in the midst of tension. In The 39 Steps, one actor played the role of spy hunter Richard Hannay, and three actors played everyone else, often switching characters at high speed in mid-scene. The result was a Charles Ludlam-like wackiness that never lost sight of the true heart of the tale.
Similarly, Barlow’s take on A Christmas Carol – which is being given its second national production at theREP – is funny, sweet and redemptive, with, as the playwright said, “The beating heart of Dickens still safe and sound within.”
At theREP, a wonderful quartet, featuring Kevin Kelly, Marcy McGuigan, Doug Trapp and Kristyn Youngblood, creates Victorian London all around McGuire’s stingy Scrooge. In addition to juggling roles, they are creating even more characters with puppets (wait ‘til you see Tiny Tim!) and straw dolls, singing Yuletide favorites and providing all of their own accompaniment on a variety of musical instruments.
Preview performances for the family-friendly A Christmas Carol, which runs approximately two hours with one intermission, take place November 22-24. Opening night is Tuesday, November 26. Regular performances continue through Sunday, December 22. Performance times are 7:30 pm Tuesday through Thursday and 8 pm Friday and Saturday with matinees at 3 pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday and Wednesday, December 4. The Capital Repertory Theatre is located at 111 North Pearl Street, Albany. Tickets range from $20 to $60. Students with valid ID and children under 17 pay $16 for all shows. For tickets and information on other events surrounding these performances, call Tickets by Proctors, 518-445-7469 or visit capitalrep.org.