Allen Tries His Magic on ‘Christmas’

To paraphrase Sammy Cahn: It’s that time of year, when the world falls headlong into a heap of “Christmas Carols.” The Steve Allen version, a musical retelling of the 1843 Charles Dickens tale, opened Wednesday at Theatre West. Harold Gould, that fine actor who recently starred in the Pasadena Playhouse production of “Visiting Mr. Green,” here plays Scrooge. Perched on a stool off to the right, composer, lyricist and librettist Allen narrates his version, relying on Dickens’ own language.

Those are the facts. It’d be far easier on the spirit to report that this “Christmas Carol” could be the start of something big, as Allen’s best-known (and truly snazzy) hit song put it. Alas, hindered by a klutz-o staging, “A Christmas Carol” has its melodic felicities and a solid performance or two, but, frankly, it’s a mess.

Allen’s hardy reputation as show-biz’s Mr. Eclectic shall surely survive this wee setback.

This take on “A Christmas Carol” heightens the work’s social conscience, which is apt, while lending it a snappy, jazz-inflected, very ‘50s sound, which isn’t. Certain Allen tunes work, such as the opening ensemble number “Wonderful Christmas,” followed by “The Red of the Holly,” both of which impart a bit of mid-19th century flavor. (The cast, however, seems to have drawn straws backstage to determine who’d try an accent, and who wouldn’t.) “The Things I Should Have Said,” Scrooge’s exercise in musical hindsight, works rather well, too.

But many songs suffer from a generalized attack, or interpolation trouble: Often a peppy up-tempo number comes crashing into a downer moment, as if Allen simply wasn’t in the mood to take the story’s pathos seriously. Marley’s pop ballad “It’s About Time” proffers lyrics such as: “It’s about time/It’s about living/”It’s about forgiving. . . .” The climactic “Let’s Have a Celebration” does pretty much what the Leslie Bricusse rouser “Thank You Very Much” did in the 1970 film “Scrooge”: underline Scrooge’s transformation with a heavy hand.

Theatre West’s opening-night performance added a few glitches of its own to director John Gallogly’s cramped, static staging. One of the ghosts nearly took a header off a platform. Scenic designer Tom Giamario’s cutout depictions of London jammed the right-hand-side entryway to the stage, so that Allen and company could barely squeeze by to get on or off.

Gould, Mary Garripoli (a nicely sung Mrs. Cratchit) and Kevin Symons’ brisk nephew Fred retained their dignity throughout. Some of the hamming in the support ranks was so relentless, I thought we’d flown right by Thanksgiving and landed at Easter.

* “A Christmas Carol,” Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 and 7 p.m. Ends Jan. 9. $8-$25. (888) 551-9378. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Charles Dickens: Steve Allen

Bob Cratchit: David Brandt

Mabel Crouch: Lynn Chester

Belinda: Hannah Cooper/Caitlin Gallogly

Jacob Marley: Roger Cruz

Jameson: Brian Fenwick

Mrs. Cratchit: Mary Garripoli

Tiny Tim: Murphy Giller/Cosmo Zelman

Ebenezer Scrooge: Harold Gould

Ghost of Christmas Present: Bridget Hanley

Gordon: Graham Jackson

Martha Cratchit: Molly Reynolds

Elizabeth: Faith Salie

Fred: Kevin Symons

Book, music and lyrics by Steve Allen. Directed by John Gallogly. Musical director Paul Horner. Choreographer William Mead. Set by Tom Giamario. Costumes by Katie Frye. Lighting and sound by Joe Morrissey.