This meta, madcap adaptation is a truly funny take on the original Dickens

Funky Little Theater has outdone itself with an outstanding production of A Christmas Carol, a play adapted by Colorado playwright Josh Hartwell from Charles Dickens’ famous novella. (This production is also being remounted this month at Golden’s Miner’s Alley, where it originated.)

The Dickens work is perennial Christmas fare and has come in for any number of variations, but I’d put Josh Hartwell’s version up against just about anyone’s. Hartwell takes a “meta” approach, framing Dickens’ tale with the efforts of a local community theatre company to re-enact A Christmas Carol. The results are a comic riot.

The theatre company has a tradition of gathering to hear Jim (John Longo) read Christmas-inspired works, such as Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales and to stage A Christmas Carol. A grouchy Jim has to be coaxed into repeating the role, but the actors succeed, and the show goes on.

Scrooge’s familiar story of being visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future is accompanied — or just plain interrupted — by the actors’ bickering. The interplay between the “meta” community’s story and Dickens comes quickly to the fore when two actors, Josh (Timothy Brian Cordova) and Jason (Justin Rubenstein) can’t agree on who gets to play Marley’s Ghost.

They “solve” the problem by turning Marley’s Ghost into twins. Unfortunately, the chained twins can’t always agree on which direction to move. And, in this production, the actors are “twins” in the same way that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito were in the movie, Twins.

Hartwell’s “meta magic” does run out of gas toward the end. The build up to Scrooge’s redemption is so genuine and so emotionally affecting (try to top Dickens!) that it feels like the evening should end there. Funky’s audience was ready to give a standing ovation. But the script still had some work to do, winding up the theatrical company’s story. The last scene’s bookending is a bit of a letdown.

L-R, Chloe Webb as Tiny Tim, Timothy Brian Cordova and Dayna Webb | Photo: Chris Medina

Solid cast

The cast is generally quite good. All of the actors take more than one role, playing one of the theatrical community parts and at least one, and frequently several, of the Dickens characters.

John Longo, one of Colorado Springs’ theatrical MVPs, plays Jim/Scrooge with a well-calibrated mixture of disagreeable scorn turning to regret turning to joy. The script ensures, as does the performance, that Scrooge’s transformation doesn’t get sugary or sentimental.

At the opening performance, Longo also demonstrated his improv chops. When a helpful child in the audience called out directions to a ghost’s location, Longo replied, “I’m getting there!” before instantly returning to character. In an evening of intentional hilarity, this spontaneity was the cherry on top.

As Bob Cratchit, Cordova creates a very moving moment regarding his son, Tiny Tim. It’s all the more impressive in that the pathos occurs amidst the play’s general comic melee.

Margaret Brophy contributes, among others, a spirited Ghost and a Fundraiser and Dayna Webb is a memorable Emily Cratchit. Chloe Webb makes a fine debut first as a hyper-articulate youngster and also as one of the ventriloquists for the troupe’s Tiny Tim dummy.

Props and costumes added to the fun. There’s that dummy version of Tiny Tim. Additionally, the actors wielded large pails labeled “Fog” to set the stage for Marley’s Ghost to enter. As the Ghost of Christmas Present, Margaret Brophy glided about on inline skates.

The musical cues were met with precision. However, the lighting was not always effective. There were times when Scrooge’s face was shadowed in such a way that it was difficult to see Longo’s expressions.

This may be one of the best nights of theatre Colorado Springs has seen all year. It’s certainly one of the funniest. If you want to make your holiday season merrier, grab your tickets now.