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South Coast Rep’s Ebenezer Scrooge is back for ‘A Christmas Carol’ for 36th year

Hal Landon Jr., pictured in 2013, leads the cast of South Coast Repertory's "A Christmas Carol," running through Dec. 27. He returns again this year as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Hal Landon Jr., pictured in 2013, leads the cast of South Coast Repertory’s “A Christmas Carol,” running through Dec. 27. He returns again this year as Ebenezer Scrooge.

(Jim Cox / South Coast Repertory)
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Reviewing an established hit that has been running for decades seems a tad presumptuous -- sort of like criticizing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for an off-key marching band. After all, when a show has the durability of South Coast Repertory’s “A Christmas Carol,” which has run for 36 years and counting, critical analysis could sound like quibbling.

South Coast Rep’s production, staged since its inception by John-David Keller, is a beloved tradition that still packs houses. Hal Landon Jr. does his annual turn as Ebenezer Scrooge, a role he originated and has played some 1,000 times. One would expect wear and tear on an actor after so long, but to call Landon spry would be an understatement. At a penultimate point in the show, he does a forward somersault across his bed and into his top hat -- a move that has the audience roaring.

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The production is very much a family affair, featuring some performers who have been with the show for years. That’s also true of many of the designers, who create a postcard portrait of wintry Victoriana guaranteed to give snow-starved Southland audiences an arctic blast of nostalgia.

Yet there are a few quibbles to be made. Certain performers swallow a line or two, and the standard American dialect used across the board in Keller’s staging seems somewhat at odds with the British cadences. Also, adapter Jerry Patch makes substitutions that seem more intrusive than essential. (Scrooge threatens Cratchit, not with the loss of his “situation,” but of his “position” -- a small change, but an unnecessary violation of the text.)

Still, once one adjusts to the Americanization of Ebenezer, this “Carol” remains a juggernaut entertainment as eye-catching as it is ultimately uplifting. Leave the quibbles to the Grinch and enjoy.

“A Christmas Carol,” South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Call or check website for dates and times. Ends Dec. 27. $22-$71. (714) 708-5555, www.scr.org. Running time: 2 hours.

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For the record

An earlier version of this review misstated the price range for tickets. The correct range is $22-$71, not $22-$27.

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