HOLIDAY THEATER REVIEWS : Heart, Humor and Humanity

Among the many offerings available to Orange County audiences are South Coast Repertory’s warm ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Way Off Broadway’s engaging ‘Greetings.’

South Coast Repertory’s 14th annual “A Christmas Carol” glows like a burnished Victorian heirloom--dark around the edges but gleaming within. And Hal Landon Jr., back for his perennial star turn as Scrooge, seems in better form than ever at the heartfelt center of a swiftly paced, atmospheric show full of Dickensian sentiment.

As written by Jerry Patch and directed by John-David Keller, this adaptation prizes warmth sometimes to the point of overheating--perhaps unavoidable, given the material. Yet this year’s reprise largely manages to avoid the sort of sentimental inflation that aims strictly for the tear ducts.

Every staging of “A Christmas Carol” is saddled with the heavy dramaturgical baggage of Scrooge’s overnight transformation from a hard-hearted penny pincher into a contrite do-gooder doling out money and gifts.

SCR’s version makes Dickens’ moralistic lesson believable not just with magical special effects, but with vivid performances by Don Took as the Ghost of Jacob Marley and Ron Boussom as the Spirit of Christmas Present.

Cliff Faulkner’s clever sets evoke 19th-Century London with flair and, by their swift deployment, help maintain the smooth flow of Keller’s detailed staging. Dwight Richard Odle’s costumes are authentic throughout.

* “A Christmas Carol,” South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tuesdays-Fridays, 7:30 p.m., Saturdays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, noon and 4 p.m.; matinee Dec. 22, 2:30 p.m.; Dec. 24, noon and 4 p.m. Ends Dec. 26. $13-$28. (714) 957-4033. Running time: 2 hours.