O.C. STAGE REVIEW : Having Dickens of Time at SCR

South Coast Repertory has transformed the time-encrusted mythology of “A Christmas Carol” into a sprightly, well-turned comedy with an Ebenezer Scrooge who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.

Scrooge is a penny-pinching grumbler, of course. And virtually everybody on stage either says he’s a meanie or treats him like one. But we don’t believe it for a minute. We’re not meant to. Not in this version of Charles Dickens’ Christmas tale.

For no matter how bony Scrooge’s face, how chilly his words, how miserly his deeds, Scrooge is a comic. This news should come as no surprise to regular SCR-goers. Hal Landon Jr. has played him this way every year since 1980, and John-David Keller has directed the show for as many silly laughs as it can get.

The result happens to be highly entertaining, especially for a family audience. But it is not Dickens. It misses both the pathos of the story and the emotional impact. Furthermore, while Jerry Patch’s adaptation manages to convey the basic message that kindness and charity are to be valued, the moral of the story is dangerously oversimplified.

Every kid in the audience, and probably some parents, well may be persuaded that the inverse of the moral is true: By play’s end, Scrooge discovers that money is the root of all good, as long as he gives it away. Money buys love. Money buys happiness. Money, more than generosity, remains his form of salvation.

However, there can be no faulting the production for its liveliness, freshness and technical polish. It moves swiftly, yet without sacrificing too much detail. The acting is crisp and particular. Party scenes are radiant, with minor roles filled out beautifully. The music is warm, the costumes authentic. And the special effects, while vivid, are not overplayed.

Above all, this “Christmas Carol” has the great virtue of not being boring, which cannot be said for many cultural rites of passage. It certainly works as a first taste of theater and may even whet a child’s appetite for the real Dickens.

Landon’s star turn as Scrooge seems at all times a cross between slapstick and caricature, regardless of whether he’s playing nasty (in his black suit and stovepipe hat) or playing scared (in his red nightcap and white sleeping gown).

Clearly, his performance has been designed for kids. It prizes all sorts of amusing goofiness, including baby talk and an acrobatic hat trick. One thing it does not include is anything remotely British--in keeping with most of the other performances--though not for lack of trying. (Landon affects a peculiar accent that sounds vaguely Southern.)

Back from previous years in fine form are Ron Michaelson as the Spirit of Christmas Present, Art Koustik and Martha McFarland as Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig (both doubling in minor roles), Don Took as Marley (also doubling), John Ellington as Bob Cratchit and Howard Shangraw as Scrooge’s nephew.

Two admirable newcomers to the production, Jarion Monroe and Devon Raymond, are outstanding additions. Monroe, who replaces Richard Doyle as the Spirit of Christmas Past, brings a precise elegance to the role (as deft in its way as the smarmy flair he lent to “A Chorus of Disapproval” earlier this season). And Raymond, as Belle, not only fits her character’s name but has a quiet, authoritative presence that is very appealing, and talent to match.

‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’

A South Coast Repertory production. Adapted by Jerry Patch from the story by Charles Dickens. Directed by John-David Keller. With Dante di Loreto, John Ellington, Marilyn Fox, Art Koustik, Hal Landon Jr., Anni Long, Martha McFarland, Ron Michaelson, Jarion Monroe, Devon Raymond, Dennis Robertson, Howard Shangraw, Don Took. Setting by Cliff Faulkner. Costumes by Dwight Richard Odle. Lighting by Donna and Tom Ruzika. Sound design by Stephen Shaffer. Music direction by Diane King. Through Dec. 24 at 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa. Show times are Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:30 p.m.; Sundays at noon and 4 p.m.; performances Dec. 19 and 21 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $20 to $22, with discounts for children under 12. (714) 957-4033.