Theater Review
“A Christmas Carol”
Produced by: Theatre Three – Port Jefferson
Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur
There’s a trio of Jeffrey Sanzels on display at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson for the next five weeks … the Playwright; the Director; and the Actor … and it is unlikely that any of us shall see such a storehouse of theatrical talent demonstrated in a single evening again in our lifetime.
Jeffrey Sanzel as Ebenezer Scrooge © Theatre Three
Clearly, Sanzel the playwright is keenly aware that 12-year-old Charles Dickens, as a result of his father’s imprisonment in 1824, was forced to sell his beloved books and go to work in a shoe polish factory—a filthy job that he loathed. And even when his debtor father was released from prison, the humiliated Charles was compelled to continue the degrading labor. Accordingly, in later life, the boy trained much of his accumulated hatred on the father whom he both pitied and loved.
One would need to have a working knowledge of the unfortunate background that plagued the true-life Dickens family, in order to have adapted Charles’s novella, “A Christmas Carol,” so insightfully for the stage. Indeed, while most such adaptations emphasize the five words of poor Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one!” as if they alone define the play, it was, in fact, a love-hate conflict brewing within the breast of Dickens the novelist, that caused him so memorably to depict the two radically different ‘Scrooges’ in his story. They are, of course, the stingy recluse, and the generous, outgoing man into whom he is transformed at the tale’s conclusion.
All plays, though they are indebted for their existence primarily to the playwright, owe their interpretation to the director. In this regard, Jeffrey Sanzel shines with a brilliance that is truly dazzling. The veteran’s directing vision is revealed most vividly in his timing and that of his players … and when it comes to pace, the Sage of Long Island Directors is unsurpassed. Sanzel’s tempo puts his actors (and therefore his audience) in lockstep with this exciting show’s exquisite material.
Which brings us to Sanzel, the actor.
Every performing company is led by one individual, whether intentionally or otherwise. We see the phenomenon in gatherings from kindergarten classes … to jury rooms … to family reunions. When Jeffrey Sanzel is on stage, he is the actor from whom all the others take their cue. The spectacle is played out definitively, and begins before a single word has been spoken. What’s more, the observable fact seems to have won the unanimous approval of the cast … to everyone’s benefit.
And all the players in “A Christmas Carol,” while turning in remarkably synchronized performances, seemed to have been enjoying themselves immensely during the show’s 2014 debut last weekend. From the unforgettable Brett Chizever, lounging on a staircase while chortling and playing ‘The Ghost of Christmas Present’ perfectly … to Douglas J. Quattrock, whose heartbreaking ‘Bob Cratchit’ was appropriately empathetic … to ‘The Ghost of Christmas Future’ (James D. Schultz), who brings a 15-foot ‘Grim Reaper’ figure frighteningly to life. All are outstanding.
Long Islanders should see for themselves the miracle wrought in Port Jeff by such as Randall Parsons (for an amazing set), Robert W. Henderson (for incredible lighting), to Randall Parsons & Bonnie Vidal (their period costumes are superb), and Neil Creedon (whose sound design makes ghosts reverberate as ghosts should).
So, then … the Christmas season has been officially launched. Feast on it. Bring some friends to Theatre Three between now and Dec. 27th. They’ll love you for it!
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Award-winning writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of nine novels. His theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s new thriller, “Harvest,” an American doctor is ordered to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans. Mr. Ladouceur will introduce the novel at Huntington’s Book Revue on Nov. 25th.