Northern Stage goes straight to the heart of ‘A Christmas Carol’

In a masterful performance by Jamie Horton — the best I’ve ever seen on stage — Scrooge faces his nocturnal visitors, first with anger and annoyance, then with fear, and finally with hope. When Scrooge awakens confused but renewed, he can’t help share the joy of his redemption with his family and the world.

That’s exactly what Horton did at Saturday’s opening night performance — joined by Northern Stage’s cast of 30 of nine professional actors and 18 students of all ages — he shared the universal joy of Christmas and redemption with the sold-out audience.

Northern Stage is presenting “A Christmas Carol,” with holiday music, adapted and directed by Dunne, Nov. 21-Dec. 31 at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction.

Presented as the theater’s annual holiday show, the production is the usual extravaganza involving a large cast and elaborate staging. And this is no exception, but the adaptation by Dunne, the company’s producing artistic director, sticks to the story as Dickens wrote it — including the author’s colorful dialogue.

And there is no oversimplification of the characters. Horton plays Scrooge not as caricature but realistically as an unaware and damaged man, not able to connect with his fellow humans and certainly not Christmas. He convincingly takes Scrooge through the emotions of his troubled childhood and inevitability of a dismal future. (It has to be shortest, most intense, successful psychotherapy session on record!)

We believe in Scrooge’s journey — and thus are able to share in the joy of his redemption and newfound Christmas spirit.

The ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s late partner, begins the journey with his dire warning and the promise of the three spirits. Gordon Clapp, a well-known television actor familiar to Northern Stage audiences, is cast as Marley, but was indisposed opening weekend. Dunne, in chains, proved a dramatic if unexpected Marley.

The other major roles are also well cast. Kevin David Thomas gives Bob Crachit, Scrooge’s beleaguered and terribly poor employee, real dimension and heart. Much the same can be said for Max Samuels’ witty and attractive performance as Scrooge’s loving nephew Fred. (In an unimportant but amusing glitch in the adaptation, Samuels doubles as the cynical businessman asking who Scrooge left his money to.)

All but Horton as Scrooge double as other characters, but it becomes haunting with the ghosts. Kate Kenney had powerful presence as the Ghost of Christmas Past, but was also the motherly orphanage matron. Nicolas Mongiardo-Cooper was effervescent as both Christmas Past and Scrooge’s one sympathetic employer Fezziwig. The silent haunting — and very tall — Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come wasn’t identified.

The remainder of the cast was quite convincing. The young performers, including Tiny Tim, are from the company’s excellent education program and divided into alternating casts — Team Red and Team Green — and they certainly hold their own. Various groups sang short selections from traditional carols throughout.

If the cast was topnotch, the physical production matched them all the way. The stylish and grand set with a balcony surrounding the central performance space was designed by David L. Arsenault, with truly creative lighting by Amina Alexander that changed the world on stage from moment to moment. Costumes by Allison Crutchfield rounded out the spectacular picture.

Although not noticeable to most, staging missteps occasionally detracted from the production’s power. Sometimes too many people were on stage, as the folks pulling on Marley’s chains distracted from what would have been a truly powerful scene. Or silliness, as when the Ghost of Christmas Present arrives on a scooter, breaking the mood. These are minor, but all the more noticeable because of the production’s overall excellence.

In truly troubled times, Northern Stage’s “A Christmas Carol” goes straight to the heart and joy of the holiday spirit. And we need it.