Joyful Change of Heart (Highview Arts Center)

A Christmas Carol Based on the novel by Charles Dickens Adapted by Kathy Preher Reynolds Directed by Ke'Lab Bauchamp Review by Brian Kennedy 

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Highview Arts Center brought forth an okay take on the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, especially in the second act. 

The Ke’Lab Bauchahmp-directed and Kathy Preher Reynolds-adapted A Christmas Carol tells the classic Charles Dickens story of Scrooge (Mike Harris) and his grumpy, wealth-obsessed ways. His now-deceased business partner Jacob Marley (Eric Langley) as well as three ghosts, Christmas Past (Darlene King), Present (Taylor Hooper), and Future (Brooke Spatol) visit him in an attempt to change his life for the better. 

At the beginning of the show, Scrooge’s office is set up complete with desks, books, quills, a couple of candles, and backdrops full of snow-covered houses in London. Those backdrops eventually unfold to reveal other well-painted backgrounds. Kudos goes to scenic artists Reynolds, Karl Anderson, and Jill Marie Guelda. 

The first act was a track meet, clocking in at a quick 26 minutes. Nearly all performers on stage went quick, giving little in the way of emotion or range in voice along the way. That made it difficult to follow the action or understand the intentions of any character, regardless if one already knows the story. The lone exceptions included Brooke Spatol as Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, who took her time serving as a joyful counterpoint to Scrooge’s “bah-humbug” attitude. 

Also, Jazmin Smith, as Belle, convincingly let her frustration and anger fly at Scrooge, their fading romance, and his wealth desires. Later on, performing as Mrs. Cratchitt, Smith returns to the frustration and anger well for a monologue regarding her issues about the now older Scrooge.

Meanwhile, the narration was too wordy. Not the fault of the narrators (Taylor Hooper, Olivia Daniel, and Gracie Nash), who did their best with what they had. It’s really an adaptation issue. Several times during both acts the narration described exactly what was going on. For instance, Scrooge saw Marley’s face…as the narrator stated Scrooge saw Marley’s face. Scrooge examined the door…as the narrator stated Scrooge examined the door. Let the action do more of the storytelling.

In the second act, as Scrooge traveled with the ghosts of Christmas Present and Future, the action finally slowed to a more manageable pace (though still a little fast at 31 minutes). The audience had time to really feel the characters' performances. This was especially true for the chemistry between Bob Crachitt (Thomas Winner) and Tiny TIm (Olivia Daniel), who were very believable as doting father and disabled but optimistic son. Later, Winner’s emotional scene without Tiny Tim led to a few teary eyes in the audience. 

Highview Arts Center’s version of A Christmas Carol was overall not bad, especially the second act. That said, there’s still plenty of room, including slowing the show down and fixing the narration, to make it even better and fulfill its potential as a yearly holiday classic.

A Christmas Carol Highview Arts Center December 14-15, 19-22 7406 Fegenbush Lane Louisville, KY 40228 www.highviewartscenter.com