‘Carol’ Takes a Comic Romp

If you don’t have a child to take to “A Christmas Carol” at the Pasadena Playhouse’s Balcony Theatre, borrow one. This tongue-in-cheek, zany two-man version of Dickens’ holiday classic is aimed at ages 5 to 12, but parents may find themselves enjoying it as much as their offspring.

The Hampstead Players, billed in press material as “a daffy duo from Britain,” aren’t exactly new arrivals. They are none other than comical B. J. Turner and Steve Cassling, who shone in the bawdy adult panto “Rumpelstiltskin” last year at Theatre Exchange.

Happily, they’ve teamed up again. In this G-rated Dickens burlesque, Cassling is nephew Fred, Bob Cratchitt and all the spirits, while Turner plays Scrooge and a few offstage voices. Surprisingly, despite all the nonsense, from a hilarious variation of the vaudevillian “Who’s on First” routine to deliberate groaner lines such as “Here at Marley and Scrooge, we make money the old fashioned way--we hoard it,” some real Dickens is allowed to survive.

Turner, a wildly funny actor of the naughty Benny Hill school, never goes too far. He can break up the audience with an outraged “Stop looking up me nightie,” and yet, with moving conviction can be Scrooge seeing himself as a sad little boy, alone at Christmas.

His foil, tall and handsome Cassling, is more than just a pretty face. Beneath that leading man exterior beats the heart of a deft comic actor who can (on his knees) play the Spirit of Christmas Past as a leprechaun, silence Scrooge with a crisp, Irish-accented “put a cork in it” and like Turner, elicit a laugh from the audience without a word.

Children in the audience, and adults, too, are involved throughout. They’re given lines to call out and finish each of Scrooge’s “Bah, Humbugs” for him. (“Must I suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous children?” Turner asks.)

Some are asked on stage to be Cratchitt’s apprentices. Caswell, as one of the spirits, enfolds another trio protectively in his cloak, introducing them to Scrooge as Hunger, Ignorance and Despair. When he gently coos “Come, my little ones, back to your seats,” it’s to set up Scrooge’s anxious “Careful on the stairs, we don’t have insurance.”

Occasionally, the offstage dialogue--during costume changes--is a bit long, but most of this hour is a lark. And, if you’re “Christmas Caroled” out, the pair also offer a two-man “Robin Hood.”

At 39 S. El Molino Ave. in Pasadena, today through Friday and Jan. 4-8: “A Christmas Carol” at 1 p.m.; “Robin Hood” at 3 p.m. Children under 12, $5 for one show; $8 for both. Adults, $12 for one show; $20 for both. (818) 356-PLAY.