Theater Review: "A Christmas Carol" at The Legacy Theatre

“Theatre is created by ensemble…that extends into the theater seats, and out into the community. The ‘ensemble’ is made complete with you, and we hope you feel our love and gratitude through our performance as we share the sweet sentiments of the season in the best ways we know how.” - Keely Baisden Knudsen, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of The Legacy Theatre

This is how the artistic director welcomes patrons to The Legacy Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol,” which runs through Dec. 11.

This adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ classic, firmly set in London in the Victorian Era, was written by Baisden Knudsen and includes music that she composed with Music Director David Bell. Not only did she direct the production, she is part of the cast credited as Equity member Keely Baisden. Mixed in with some traditional English Christmas Carols, the composers add some original numbers that include the cheery “It’s Christmas Time,” Scrooge’s “Humbug,” Belle’s “Set You Free,” and the time marking “Clock Chime Bells.” It was a treat for me to see the artistic director on stage for the first time.

Despite the addition of musical numbers, this is a lean adaptation of the source material, which moves along at a quick clip. The small cast must play various roles in order to flesh out the well-known tale.

Palm Coast, Florida resident James Andreassi returns to The Legacy to play Ebenezer Scrooge. Equity member Andreassi has taught at Southern CT State University, Yale, and Quinnipiac, and is the founder and director emeritus of the Elm Shakespeare Company in New Haven.

The artistic director covers many roles throughout the performance, including Mrs. Cratchit, Ghost of Christmas Past, Charity Woman One, Beggar Woman and Clock Chime Singer Three.

Legacy Theatre Manager Kiersten Bjork, a 2021 graduate of Fairfield University, does very well with her various characters. She also has many costume changes to portray Fan, Mrs. Fezziwig, Charity Woman Two, Party Guest, Clock Chime Singer One, Martha Cratchit and Caroler.

Connecticut-based actor/singer Betzbeth Castro shows off her beautiful singing voice in her role as Belle, as well as Scrooge’s Niece, Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, and Clock Chime Singer Two. She has taught at Housatonic Community College and has worked with Capital Classics Theatre Company, Fairfield Center Stage and Westport Country Playhouse’s New Works/New Voices series.

Dan Frye (“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “The Great Gatsby: A Live Radio Play”) returns to The Legacy to play the young version of Scrooge, in addition to his nephew Fred, and a gravedigger (“Canney Take It”) and a caroler.

Equity member Chris Lemieux (“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”) plays Marley, Fezziwig, the jovial Ghost of Christmas Present and a caroler. Lemieux will be directing his first spring musical at Branford Walsh Intermediate School.

Josiah Rowe (“The Great Gatsby” with Legacy) acts as the narrator in the role of Bob Cratchit and brings half of the comedy to the gravedigger scene. Rowe is impossible cute in both of his roles.

Two other members of the Knudsen family who reside in Guilford appear in various roles alongside their mother. Emery Knudsen reprises his role as Tiny Tim, the boy on Christmas morning, and a caroler. Liviana Knudsen returns to this production to cover the roles of Cratchit Daughter Number One and a party guest.

Jimmy Johansmeyer, co-founder and producer of Pantochino Productions in Milford, was the costume coordinator. Costumes were provided in part by Pantochino Productions, and these were originally designed for the stage by Johansmeyer. Original costume design is credited to June Gold.

The scenic and lighting design was done by Jamie Burnett, a founding member of the Elm Shakespeare Company, and is impressive in its scope on this relatively small stage. There is a space that rolls out from beneath Scrooge’s office, above which is the miser’s bedroom. Raised above stage left is a platform that allows Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas Past to watch his past recreated on the stage below. Two of the passages in the set are so low that I worried the actors would hurt themselves as they stooped to pass through the lowest spots. The door knocker transformation is impressively done with lighting.

“A Christmas Carol” is performed without an intermission and runs one hour and five minutes, including a brief holiday sing-along after the curtain call. This makes it the perfect version of the holiday classic for young patrons. The ghostly aspects are not overly scary and the music uplifts the performance.

Don’t forget to bring new hats, mittens, and scarves to donate to the Community Dining Room as part of our Holiday Hat & Mitten Drive!

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.