The long holiday season would not be complete without at least one production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, so the Millbrook Community Players, Inc. have stepped up with their staging of a 1977 modest adaptation by Brian Way entitled The Christmas Carol, one that often quotes directly from the book, and yet diverges from it here and there.
Of course, Ebenezer Scrooge's [Kevin Morton] Christmas Eve reclamation from a rich but miserable miserly sort to a man who "will honor Christmas" for the rest of his life is brought about by several ghostly visitors, starting with his former business partner, Jacob Marley [Eric Arvidson] who announces that Scrooge's change can only be brought about through the efforts of the Ghosts of Christmases Past [Rae Ann Collier], Present [Michael Snead] and Future [Rachel Stephenson].
Reluctant at first, and convinced that he is beyond help, Scrooge takes the visions the ghosts show him to heart, and by baby steps comes to the full realization of hue errant ways and the means to change by accepting responsibility for past mistakes and a desire to help others in need.
His loveless youth and growth in the business world turn him away from romance with Belle [Hannah Moore], his self-centered life consuming every hour of the day; but as he is reminded of the kindness of Mr. Fezziwig [Mark McGuire], he begins to regret the life he has lived for so long, and is on the way towards redemption. And at regular intervals, some episode brings him ultimately to his salvation.
His persistently cheerful nephew Fred [Pat VanCor] is a constant reminder of the death of his fragile sister Fan [Sara Morton], as he shows up every year to invite his Uncle Scrooge to dinner and wish him a "Merry Christmas", only to hear Scrooge retort with "Bah, Humbug!"
And the Cratchit family headed by Scrooge's clerk Bob [Greg Fanning] and the pitiably crippled and sickly youngest son, Tiny Tim [Gabe Maggard], eke out a living with Bob's meager salary, but keep a positive disposition regardless. -- With an uncertainty about Tiny Tim's survival, Scrooge asks "Are these things that will be, or might be?"
When he awakes on Christmas morning, having assured the Ghost of Christmas Future that "I'm not the man I was", Scroode sets out to make amends for the past he now regrets...and Tiny Tim [who did not die] repeats his famous declaration: "God bless us, every one".
And, while the Millbrook production directed by A. John Collier struggles at times with its staging and sometimes perfunctory performances, the message that Dickens presents has retained its resonance with today's audiences, and satisfies our annual appreciation of A Christmas Carol.
