Just when you thought you knew every nuance of Dickens’s Christmas classic, along comes Jacob Marley to rattle his chains. Melbourne Civic Theatre revives its quinquennial production of Tom Mula’s “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol,” this time as a limited-engagement staged reading, for one weekend only, through Dec. 21.
The play is a nimble riff that flips the perspective from Ebeneezer Scrooge to his late business partner, Jacob Marley. The result is part peek at the afterlife, part redemption saga, and a palate cleanser for audiences who want a familiar story with a fresh twist.
“The play shows us how Jacob Marley doesn’t just foretell, but actually shapes the events we’re familiar with from Dickens’ story,” said director Peg Girard.
Where Dickens gave Marley a cameo appearance, Mula builds him a full arc. In “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol,” Marley is sent on a race-against-the-clock mission to rescue Scrooge’s soul, and in doing so, to save his own.
Girard says the play answers a pressing question about Dickens’ classic tale.
“What happens to Jacob Marley? He sets into motion the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge. Yet when we last see Marley [in the novella], he’s still wandering the Earth in misery and deprivation,” she said.
“This delightful theater experience corrects that.”
Marley isn’t just rattling chains. He’s grappling with responsibility, and the possibility that love can reach backward as well as forward. A mischievous sprite called the Bogle becomes his guide and foil, and their banter keeps the show moving at a brisk pace.
The play leans into the morality tale beneath the classic story, touching on ideas like how kindness can be learned, and how fear can turn into cruelty.
“The play doesn’t shy away from the uglier side of human nature and the cruelty that can result from it,” Girard said.
“With ample evidence that such darkness still exists, today’s audiences embrace the depiction of decency and light bringing our better selves into being,” she said. “The story is evergreen.”
The play is a tradition at Melbourne Civic Theater, as Girard and actors Terrence Girard and Adrian Cahill have presented it every five years since 2005. This year, the cast is rounded out by actors Alan Selby and Kevin McCaughin.
Expect an intimate evening in MCT’s performance space. The play is written for a small ensemble of four, played on a largely bare stage with fluid narration and quick character doubling. That spareness invites audiences to lean in and use their imaginations.
“The productions have all been very austere, in accordance with playwright Tom Mula’s intent,” Girard said. “Lighting, minimal props, simple black suits for all four actors, and the most basic set design allow the audience to imagine the story through Mula’s elegant descriptive language.”
Girard says the play’s minimalist sensibility lends itself to this year’s staged reading format.
“Although large chunks of the text are memorized to allow the actors to fully act out key moments,” she added.
“The story has warmth and fearsomeness in abundance, and, of course, the happiest possible ending.”
‘Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol’
Where: Melbourne Civic Theatre, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne
When: Dec. 18 through 21
Tickets: $40
Call: 321-723-6935
Website: mymct.org
Looking for more Christmas events? Be sure to check floridatoday.com and the TGIF section in print on Fridays for ongoing coverage of Christmas and holiday events.
Christina LaFortune is the Entertainment and TGIF Editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/christinalafortune or send her an email at [email protected].
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