A Spate of Christmas Spirit

The annual spate of Christmas-oriented plays is now solidly among us, with this week’s selection including a twist on a well-worn classic and an imaginatively chosen, welcome surprise.

The Moorpark Playhouse is presenting one of three known productions of “A Christmas Carol” to be performed in the county this year. Also scheduled are a professional production beginning Friday evening at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza’s Scherr Forum Theater and a radio broadcast to be aired on KBBY-FM (95.1) on Dec. 11 and 24.

This is the second time around for the Moorpark production, “A Dickens of a Holiday, a.k.a. We Got Scrooged.” Typical of the old Moorpark Melodrama’s shows, it’s a parody of a classic, with lots of music. The script is by director and choreographer Adrea Gibbs, who adapted the Charles Dickens story with longtime Melodrama contributor Scott Martin.

Gibbs’ script contains a surprising amount of Dickens, buttressed by physical gags: All three Spirits are portrayed by Marlon Devereaux Robinson as a bearded, black Elvis Presley. And the pop-culture references cover a lot of chronology--some jokes are quite recent, while there are others that kids will have to ask their grandparents to explain. For instance, Tiny Tim’s (Kelly McGowan) fate, perhaps worse than death, is being forced to learn the ukulele and sing a falsetto “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.”

Several Melodrama stalwarts make welcome appearances among the large cast, notably Chris Carnicelli as Scrooge; and Jeff Wallach and Amy Sullivan, each (along with several others) playing a number of roles.

The story, like Dickens’, deals with holiday spirit, avoiding religious messages, though the songs performed include some Christian-specific carols among the pop and nonsectarian material.

* “A Dickens of a Holiday” continues through Dec. 20 at the Moorpark Playhouse (formerly Moorpark Melodrama), 45 E. High St., Moorpark. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; matinees at 3 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets to all shows are $13. For reservations or further information (ask about group rates), call 529-1212.

*

Amusing “Convicts” in Oxnard Play: The Elite Theater Company, specializing in cute comedies, has come up with a winner in “My Three Angels.” The property has a complicated history: Sam and Bella Spewack’s play was adapted from an old French comedy. In turn, the Spewack play was adapted--with several changes in plot--into a 1955 film, “We’re no Angels.”

It’s 1906 in French Guiana, and three convicts are working at the home of store owners Felix and Emilie Ducotel (Alan Ducker, Doreen Lacy). When Felix encounters problems running his general store--he’s a poor businessman and generous to a fault--the convicts come to his aid, using their own peculiar skills and straightening out not only Felix’s business problems, but daughter Marie Louise’s distressed love life.

Set at Christmastime for no discernible reason, the play is quite a dark comedy, though the prisoners are more benign than those in the film--where the escapees from Devil’s Island had a plan to rob the Ducotels.

This version is quite funny under Patricia Lynn-Strickland’s direction, as the three convicts (Andy Brasted, Richard Hawkes and Aaron Thomas in parts played in the film by Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) conspire against the Ducotels’ evil cousin (Jake Lesser) and his despicable nephew (Brian Maulhardt), the undeserved object of Marie Louise’s affection.

On the negative side--and this happens often at Elite--everybody seems to be using a different accent, though all the characters are apparently French. That the Ducotels are from Brittany is no excuse for British accents. Last weekend only, Marie Louise was played by Debbie Probe, who gave one of the best performances in the show. Lissa Giosi has the part for the rest of the run.

* “My Three Angels” continues through Dec. 19 at the Petit Playhouse, 730 S. B St. in Oxnard’s Heritage Square. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets to all shows are $12; $10 seniors. For reservations or further information, call 483-5118.