Arts & Entertainment
'A Christmas Carol' by Landmark Community Theatre - My Review
Dan Checovetes directs this production of the play that stays very true to the original Dickens version.
Pictured: David Macharelli as the ghost of Jacob Marley and Bob Lussier as Ebeneezer Scrooge in Landmark Community Theatre’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Photos courtesy of LCT
A Christmas Carol, the Charles Dickens classic, is brought to life on the Thomaston Opera House main stage by a cast of Landmark Community Theatre actors just in time for Christmas. Dan Checovetes directs this production of the play that stays very true to the original Dickens version and features some important special effects, wonderful period costumes by Barbara Piscopo and just the right amount of scary spirit appearances. While I have enjoyed many of the other versions over the years, including the Muppet rendition, this was my first time seeing a live production.
A spectacular performance by Bob Lussier as the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge is the star upon the Christmas tree. This actor makes Scrooge so believably miserable in the first act and then just as believably changed by the end of the second. His visit to the Cratchitt home unexpectedly brought a tear to my eye.
Mr. Lussier, who played Javert last summer in Les Miserables, interacts with three wonderfully portrayed spirits. Jess Cocomazzi, a sophomore at Chase Collegiate School, is a treasure as Christmas Past. Brock Putnam is boisterous and whimsically Santaesque as Christmas Present, while Lynn D’Ambrosi is silently scary as Christmas Future.
Randy Jones makes his stage debut as Bob Cratchit and Jessica Chabre (Fantine in LCT’s Les Miserables) does a fine job as his wife. Frank Beaudry (Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story) plays Scrooge’s nephew Fred and Nicole Thomas (Ragtime at the Warner) is his lovely wife Lilly. Thomaston HS senior Connor Dunn plays the young adult Ebeneezer. Peter Bard appears as both Topper and Canfield and Patti Paganucci is Scrooge’s long suffering housekeeper Mrs. Dilber. Musician Jim Luurtsema makes an onstage appearance as Old Joe (and, of course, they gave him the concertina) and Ms. D’Ambrosi also appears as Scrooge’s one love, Belle.
To read the rest of my review on OnStage, click here.
