The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge @ The Core Theater

—Review by Sam Lisman

If he were asked for his take on A Christmas Carol being his most popular work, I’m sure the second most famous author in the English language would respond with one question: what the Dickens?

But it’s true: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has seeped into (at least) American culture like no other of his works.  Without Scrooge, there is no Grinch, and the miser seems second only to Santa Claus when it comes to Christmas characters.  Dozens of adaptations, movies, cartoons, and plays retell the story (usually abbreviated, and everyone leaves out the trips to a lighthouse and a ship at sea), including The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by James Hansen Prince, now playing for the fifth time in The Core Theater’s eleven years.

Playwright Mark Brown’s riff on the story seems simple at first: a year has passed, and Scrooge’s change of heart has faded.  So much so, that’s he’s suing the ghosts of Jacob Marley and the three Christmas’s (Past, Present, and Future) for kidnapping, attempted murder, and other assorted mischief.  Anticipating the modern-day American, he wants to be compensated for his pain and suffering.  And so, the major players of the previous year’s festivities are brought to the witness stand to tell their stories, actions, and reasons, often offering direct passages from the original source. 

As one can imagine from a play about suing four ghosts, this is a comedy, as becomes readily apparent when Marley, played maniacally by Gordon Fox, is asked why it took seven years to attempt Scrooge’s redemption.  The answer, in effect, is bureaucracy.  As with any governmental agency, you see, there’s paperwork to be filed on the one hand, and employees who, while claiming to be overworked, don’t put in full-time hours, on the other. 

Scrooge, representing himself (it’ll be years before the adage about such foolishness—whoever said it first—becomes well known), is played ably by David Keller, although he does seem rather young and spry for the famously old, crotchety, cantankerous villain.  Standing against him in court (somewhat implausibly, based on the anti-Jewry laws that were still in effect in England at the time—but since he’s representing multiple ghosts, who am I to quibble?), is Solomon Rothschild (David Colville, reprising the role).  Colville plays the character well, easily gaining the trust of the witnesses, smoothly gliding past the insults directed at him. 

Unhappily presiding over this ridiculous spectacle is Judge Pearson (Juliana Stalter).  Something of a Scrooge herself, there is no place she wouldn’t rather than be than in the middle of this circus—the so-called trial of the century.  Most of her displeasure is vented on her bailiff/clerk, Connelly (Corinthia Townsend), who has some of the best comedic moments in the play.

Before the court comes a parade of witnesses: Tom McKee as both Cratchit and Scrooge’s nephew, Fred; Miracle Lewis as his late sister Fan, and lost love Belle; and Arianna Cinello as Miss Wainwright, Harriet Dilber, and Mrs. Cratchit.  Somewhat oddly, this doubling sometimes requires the actors to change costumes as they enter and exit, but each altered their accents and speech patterns to portray their different characters.

In addition to Marley, two of his ghostly co-defendants also take the stand.  Miss Emma Kroft, a precocious 5th grader, plays Christmas Past with just the right amount of exasperation, while Kameron Emanuel has a show-stopping entrance as Christmas Future, and is then joined by his interpreter, played solidly by Greg Dinsmore.

If, during the trial, you get the impression that scheming old Scrooge has more on his mind than he’s letting on, well, that’s what scheming is all about.  If you’re looking for a different take on a familiar tale—one that perhaps suggests Dickens should be thought of more often than just at Christmas—go see The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge.  It’s a pleasant time, offering good, clean fun with a thoughtful point.

WHEN: Through December 18

WHERE: 518 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson

WEB: thecoretheater.org