A 'Christmas Carol' Too Big to Fail

The musical production of “A Christmas Carol” at Centenary College should add the subtitile “Occupy Hackettstown.”

With a cast of 65 and a full orchestra, the huge stage at Centenary’s new Sitnick Theatre was more crowded than Zuccotti Park during the evening news cycle. Fortunately, those on state were much better organized and focused on a specific goal—entertaining the heck out of the audience with the kind of spectacle rarely seen this deep into suburban New Jersey.

When the college’s professional Centenary Stage Company christened this large, lovely space last year—the centerpiece of the school’s magnificent new David and Carol Lackland Center—it launched what hopefully will become a new tradition. The 2010 holiday production of the musical “Oliver!” represented the entire scope of the company’s mission with a huge cast featuring Equity professionals, faculty, Centenary theater and dance students, local actors from the extended community and kids from the Centenary Young Performers Workshop.

Michael Blevins, artistic director of the workshop and an experienced Broadway choreographer, directed that respectable “Oliver!” and has done an even better job with this production, which many may remember from seeing it when it ran as a holiday show from 1994 to 2003 in New York at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden (you know the one, which featured marquee Scrooges ranging from Tony Randall and Frank Langella to Roger Daltry of the Who).

It may not be your favorite version of the beloved Dickens tale—certainly it is one of the least traditional variations—but the energy and the immensity of the show, and the sheer volume of the talent packed inside, are nearly overwhelming.

This fast-paced crowd-pleaser runs only about 100 minutes, but does not have an intermission, so make sure the little ones are settled. Once it gets going, it just doesn’t stop, even for dialogue.

The book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens skips quickly through some of the most familiar scenes (blink and you’ll miss Scrooge’s nephew, Freddie, and his sister, Fannie) and adds a few diversions from the novella (we see a young Scrooge witness his father dragged off to debtor’s prison, which explains a lot). None of these moments lasts very long, however, because this production is all about the music.

Ahrens (a Tony winner for “Ragtime”) wrote the lyrics, while eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and, most recently, the Broadway-bound “Newsies,” which premiered in September at Paper Mill Playhouse) infuses his Disney sensibilities to the score.

“Hear the Bells” assembles the ensemble in colorful costumes (costume designer Julia Sharp must be exhausted) and turns the book’s opening scenes into a medley of melody and movement on the two-tiered set. “Link by Link” is creepy fun as Marley’s visit turns into a big production number full of chain-linked ghouls (including one who lost his head).

Lea Antolini, who teaches dance at Centenary and is a veteran of several professional stages in North Jersey, is a spritely and strong-voiced Ghost of Christmas Past. Naturally, her journey with Scrooge (Osborn Focht, who seems to specialize in ornery and ill-mannered lead roles at Centenary) leads to “Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Ball,” which is big and lively enough to pass for Broadway-level quality.

This might have been a good place for an intermission, but Blevins keeps it rolling along like an Acela Express. Steven Bidwell hams it up as the Ghost of Christmas Present, flexing his Scottish brogue and merrily hoofing it up with the horde-like troupe. Note: An earlier version of this post misidentified the actor playing the Ghost of Christmas Present as Carl Wallnau.

Sarah Lichty, who has degrees in dance and biomedical engineering, is the most alluring and graceful Ghost of Christmas Future you will ever see, but, silently whirling about in a skin-tight unitard, she is a distraction. No grim reaper should ever be this sexy.

There are a few other missteps. Focht, for one, is a great actor with a great voice, but is too young and limber for the part. You also can’t miss the unmistakable sound of Velcro tearing when he removes his Victorian suit. Some of the many fine voices occasionally get lost in the mix. And shame on the direction of the curtain call that does not give a proper nod to the terrific orchestra, which seems dominated by students but delivers the difficult score with professional panache.

Yet the problems, like the highlights, come and go so fast that you just hang onto the rails and enjoy the ride, the likes of which you may never again experience in the rolling hills of Northwest New Jersey—unless Centenary keeps this splendid and affordable tradition alive in the years to come.

“A Christmas Carol” continues through Dec. 11 at the Sitnick Theatre, David and Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown. Tickets are $22.50 to $27.50 with additional discounts for seniors and students. For information, call 908-979-0900 or visit CentenaryStageCo.org.