‘Carol’ a joyful family favorite
GREAT ACTING, DANCING AND REALISTIC SETS
Josh Bartell, 10, of La Crescenta is in the fifth grade at La
Crescenta Elementary School.
“A Christmas Carol” is an old-fashioned play based on Charles
Dickens’ story and is playing at The Glendale Centre Theatre. In this
production, director Tim Dietlein makes everything look so real. He
did an amazing job of getting the actors ready for their
performances. The dancing and the singing are absolutely
breathtaking. The costumes really look as though they were made in
England in the 1800s.
Bob Cratchit, played by Michael Lundy, is a character who always
thinks about his family. He does all the scenes set out for him
faultlessly. The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Jeff McCredie,
is very exuberant and looks like he is enjoying his brief stay on
earth. He helps Scrooge understand that children are a part of this
world too. He was by far my favorite character in the play. Kevin
Patterson is excellent as Tiny Tim. How the costume designer enabled
him walk with the splint and crutch was beyond me.
This is funny, exciting and scary at some points, and it’s all in
one play.
ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE ENDEARINGLY PORTRAYED
Deborah Charlie-Bartell of La Crescenta is a professor at
Antelope Valley College and the mother of fellow critic Josh Bartell.
What’s Christmas without Scrooge? The Glendale Centre Theatre’s
rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic story “A Christmas Carol” show-
cases one of the most likable curmudgeons to “bah, humbug” his way
through this familiar holiday tradition.
Robert Towers brings a level of energy and spark to this
well-known grouch, while still producing the necessary heartfelt
sentiments we have all come to expect. But if Scrooge is the story’s
soul in need of saving, Bob Cratchit is its heart. Played with just
the right mixture of humility and humor, Michael Lundy touches all
the right chords. In fact, the entire Cratchit family manages to win
over the audience.
Jeff McCredie makes a ghostly and jocular appearance as everyone’s
favorite haunt, the Ghost of Christmas Present. This particular
adaptation by Brenda Dietlein offers the audience an added
attraction: the voice of Dickens’ narrator performed by several cast
members who magically step out of the play’s action to tell the
story. This technique nicely ties the spoken words of drama with the
written words of literature.
Add to this the melodies and lyrics of memorable holiday songs,
and you have all the makings of an entertaining evening. Various cast
members (numbering at times close to 20) literally weave their way
and their holiday spirit throughout the audience and across the stage
dressed in colorful, Victorian costumes, making this production a joy
to watch for everyone.