Michael Russotto in “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.
Charles Dickens’ classic novella, “A Christmas Carol,” has been presented in numerous formats since its publishing nearly 200 years ago. This venerable tale tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man who hates Christmas and mistreats his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Bob Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim, is a jovial child who is severely ill, and Scrooge shows no concern for the Cratchit family’s well-being. The spirits of Christmas positively transform Scrooge, and he embodies the true meaning of its message and value.
…a theatrical wonder in the truest sense that showcases an astounding performance and singular talent…a masterpiece…provides an exceptionally unique entertainment experience.
At Olney Theatre Center, Paul Morella’s “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas” has been a holiday tradition over the past 15 years, with this rendition being truest to Dickens’ manuscript. Morella’s brilliant solo adaptation uses 99 percent of Dickens’ text verbatim and was conceived around Dickens’ intention for “A Christmas Carol” to be presented by a single storyteller. During his lifetime, Dickens often gave public performances of “A Christmas Carol” in this format, and Morella’s version is faithful to this unique presentation.
In addition to adapting and conceiving “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas,” Morella is also known for his legendary role as the show’s storyteller. His enactment attracts capacity audiences every year, drawing patrons from all over the tri-state area. For the first time in 15 years, Morella will not be performing this season. In his stead, actor Michael Russotto is filling in for him. Russotto’s performance continues this holiday tradition for 2024, and his spellbinding presentation is a masterclass in acting that is not to be missed.
Reciting nearly 13,000 words of dialogue and portraying over 50 distinct characters with no additional masks or makeup is an extraordinary feat. Russotto’s virtuoso performance accomplishes this herculean task in outstanding fashion. His pitch-perfect vocalizations, intensely varied facial expressions, and compelling physical acting vividly brought the story and characters to life. This genius actor expertly matched his voice to the text of the dialogue and personality of each character, lowering his voice to a whisper when speaking of the diminishing phantom and using a high pitch when delivering Tiny Tim’s lines. He captivatingly portrayed a broad range of emotions, from the anguish of Scrooge to the jolliness of the Fezziwig family. When portraying the ghost of Scrooge’s former business partner, Jacob Marley, Russotto grippingly expressed the character’s deep anger through dramatic gestures and performed on different levels of the set to signify the character’s powerful personality. Russotto’s energetic dancing and enthusiastically pantomimed fiddle playing in the Fezziwig ball scene was a delightful highlight.
The dynamic production in the Olney Theatre Center’s 125-seat Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab was enhanced by Justin Schmitz’s well-rounded sound design and Hallie Gordon’s spectacular direction. Schmitz’s sound design authentically represented traveling bells heard in different areas of the theater, and the multi-dimensional sound allowed the spirits of Christmas to “speak” from different areas of the house. Gordon precisely executed the staging, effectively utilizing every inch of the minimalist space. Sonya Dowhaluk’s spectacular lighting design incorporated blue light to characterize the ghosts’ personas, as well as strobe and fog effects to augment the mysterious aura of the story. Dozens of Victorian objects comprised the elaborate set displaying an antique desk, quill pens, and period clocks alongside dusty books, and spent candles.
“A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas” is a theatrical wonder in the truest sense that showcases an astounding performance and singular talent. This modern representation is a masterpiece that replicates Dickens’ historic public performances of this work. Audiences are sure to be enchanted by this phenomenal production that provides an exceptionally unique entertainment experience.
Running Time: Two hours, including a 15-minute intermission
Advisory: Contains the use of fog, haze, and strobe lights
“A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas” runs through December 29, 2024 at Olney Theatre Center (Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab), 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832. Performances are Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:45 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. There are additional 3:00 p.m. matinees on Tuesday, December 24 and Thursday, December 26, and there is no performance on Wednesday, December 11. Tickets can also be purchased in person or by phone (301-924-3400) through the Box Office Wednesday-Sunday from 12:00-6:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online.
