A christmas carol at trinity

Theater review: 2010 Trinity Rep production of "A Christmas Carol"

One of my favorite Christmas traditions in Rhode Island is to see the annual production of Trinity Repertoires production of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol."

This year the production was nothing less than amazing. First the chase theater located in downtown providence is just the right size in that the audience is not right on top of the production and not too far away. The actors work in the aisles of the theater around the audience, therefore you have the feel of being part of the production.

This year's set was minimal compared to some of the sets from yesteryear. The backdrop was designed to look like the buildings of early 1800 England. The focus was placed on the doorways of the building. There was also a mobile doorway that was moved throughout the stage to act as the doorway to Scrooge's business, Fred's home, Bob Cratchett's house, Scrooges bedroom and finally Scrooge's tombstone.

The acting was excellent with much of the cast playing multiple roles. The boast of Christmas present was actually played by two actors at the same time. These actors said much of their lines simultaneously. The timing of their lines with such precision was very impressive indeed. These two experienced actors played off each other very impressively.

The toast of Christmas future was not played by an actor, nor was there any prop to represent the ghost of Christmas Present. The ghost was represented by lighting effects, strobe lights, and smoke. The effect was very effective because of the timing with a distorted voice from the ghost.

Seeing A Christmas Carol during the holiday season is a must. Seeing it in a historical theater in downtown providence with a professional theater crew is the icing on the cake. If you are in the New England area, travel to providence to see A Christmas Carol at Trinity, you'll be glad you did.