A Zany Christmas Carol In Asbury Park

Two River Times
December 12, 2008

Scene On Stage

A Zany Christmas Carol
In Asbury Park
Check your bah-humbug at the door. . .
By Philip Dorian

And now for something new and different: a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Say what? New and different? There’s one around every corner, isn’t there?

Well, yes, but they’re not like ReVision Theatre’s Scrooge in Rouge, running through December 28 in Asbury Park. And ‘thanks’ are definitely in order for this irreverent and outrageously funny tale of ye olde Scrooge.

What to do when all but three , Lottie Obligato (Linda Marie Larson), Vesta Virile (Katherine Pecevich), and Charlie Schmaltz (Doug Shapiro), to play all 23 roles.

And healthy they are. The three careen through the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future; various Cratchits; numerous Fezziwigs; and assorted other Victorian Londoners. The result is a fast-paced 90 minutes with lively song-and-dance and about a hundred gags that are corny, bawdy or a combination thereof. That nearly all (nobody’s perfect) are laughworthy is a tribute to a performers and to writers Rich Graham (book and lyrics) Jeffery Roberson (additional material) and Yvette Hargis, who is credited with “other interesting bits,” which is the year’s most intriguing credit.

Ms. Pecevich plays Ebeneezer and a couple of other bit parts along the way. She’s as accurate (if offhand) a Scrooge as I’ve seen locally. Out of character, commenting in asides to the audience, she’s a droll delight. (If “walk this way” isn’t among your favorite comic bits, go watch Miracle on 34th Street again.)

Mr. Shapiro’s antic take on Marley’s Ghost is supremely funny, but darned if he doesn’t top himself with his loose-limbed Fezziwig nephew. (His manic cavorting would drive even a kind-hearted uncle away.)

You cannot acquire pinpoint-perfect timing. Like Ms. Larson, you must be born with it. Introducing the show with the wrong author’s name – an excellent joke so obvious I’m surprised I never heard it before – and slipping in and out of a dozen fully realized roles, including a pickle (see it to believe it), she doesn’t miss a beat – of music or comedy.

Musical director Justin Stoney is positioned off to the side with his piano, where he provides faultless accompaniment and an occasional impertinent out-of-the-blue remark, and choreographer Mimi Quillin keeps the flailing arms and legs under control (barely). Costumer Abby Walton deserves co-star status. It’s not just the number – 23 outfits for 23 characters – that impresses. The outlandish styles and even the colors provide a comic context on their own.

The key to staging a deceptively loose show like Scrooge in Rouge lies in balancing control with freedom. Michael Barakiva’s direction is disciplined, but not at the expense of devil-may-care. (His rest-cure is progressing nicely, I hear.)

A song lyric promises “fancy scenery and acting with panache.” Kip marsh’s sets might not be fancy, but you’ll fancy the clever devices that enhance the goings-on. (An upright bed on the back of a door? Why not?) As for panache, “flamboyant confidence of style or manner,” that’s an understatement!

Doug Shapiro, Linda Marie Larson and Katherine Pecevich as three of the 23 characters they play in Scrooge in Rouge.

“Scrooge in Rouge” runs through Dec. 28 at the refurbished VFW Hall, 701 Lake Avenue, Asbury Park. Performance are Thurs-Sat at 8 pm (no performance Dec. 25); Sun. at 7 pm; matinees Sat. Dec 27 at 3 pm and Sun. Dec. 28 at 3 pm. For information and tickets ($25 - $35): 732-455-3059 or online at www.revisiontheatre.org.