A CHRISTMAS CAROL

FORD’S THEATRE, Washington DC, 2005-2009

Sets- Skip GW Mercier

Costumes- Fabio Toblini

Music- Mark Bennett

Lights- Pat Collins

WASHINGTON POST

Who knew that Ebenezer Scrooge was a would-be artist? The folks at Ford’s Theatre did: Their new production of “A Christmas Carol” casts Charles Dickens’s tale as a voyage through Scrooge’s imagination and memory, and the vistas along the way can verge on the surreal.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

To my immense astonishment–leaving Dickens and his story perfectly intact – director August has created a “Christmas Carol” as different from everything else I’ve seen as the Starship Enterprise is from all the airliners at O’Hare.

WASHINGTON THEATRE

Director Matt August takes us on a journey through Dickens’ imagination, where the real and the fantastical intersect…August’s production is clever, visually impressive, and very true to the spirit of the author himself.

WASHINGTON THEATRE

You’ll recognize the famous opening line of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in Ford’s Theatre’s rousing new production of the holiday classic, but you might be surprised by who delivers the matter-of-fact news about old Jacob Marley. By Dickens, it’s the author himself, in waistcoat and pantaloons, addressing us from a podium with his manuscript in hand. We’re being treated to a public reading of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas as it might have occurred when Dickens visited Washington in 1868.

….Director Matt August takes us on a journey through Dickens’ imagination, where the real and the fantastical intersect: Dickens transforms himself into Scrooge, street hawkers morph into the Christmas ghosts, and Marley haunts Scrooge’s conscience long before we hear or see his chains.…August’s production is clever, visually impressive, and very true to the spirit of the author himself, who often acted out scenes from his novels as he wrote them. In addition, Martin Rayner gives a bravura performance as Dickens/Scrooge, bringing a classical elegance and self-possession to the famous author (whom he resembles) and a hard-edged but sympathetic core to the old miser on the verge of redemption.

This production (part of Ford’s push to become a major producing theater in Washington) really isn’t to be missed by any who, in the author’s own words, wish “to keep Christmas well.” …August and Rayner make the humor sparkle as an inevitable part of Scrooge’s self-discovery. Who knew the old geezer had it in him?

WASHINGTON POST

Who knew that Ebenezer Scrooge was a would-be artist? The folks at Ford’s Theatre did: Their new production of “A Christmas Carol” casts Charles Dickens’s tale as a voyage through Scrooge’s imagination and memory, and the vistas along the way can verge on the surreal.

A huge safe tumbles from the sky at one point in this “Carol,” directed by Matt August, with original sets and costumes by G.W. Mercier and Fabio Toblini. In another scene, a harlequin capers through a yuletide revel, in the company of guests wearing pirate hats. A rakish fruit seller morphs into the Ghost of Christmas Present, and subsequently lets Scrooge’s nephew [Fred] decorate him as if he were a fir tree. This Scrooge may have spent decades scrutinizing ledgers and quipping, “Bah, humbug,” but when he dreams himself into a life transformation, you have to admit he does it with flair. Just as enchanting in Ford’s production is Martin Rayner’s performance in the lead role. With his fierce energy and marvelous voice, Rayner gives Scrooge layers of intelligence and emotion; Rayner also plays Dickens reading aloud, and the actor’s delivery showcases the classic prose to great effect.

Director August and the designers give the production a look that’s bold and crisp…. Mercier evokes rooms with just an article or two of furniture an unnaturally high desk and a pile of safes (in lieu of a chair) create Scrooge’s office, for instance.

In 2007, we were invited to The White House, to play a special performance for President Bush, the First Lady, Cabinet Members, and the children of soldiers serving in the Gulf War: