On Stage: Marley got a raw deal
By MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
12/6/2004

Heller looks at the other side of 'A Christmas Carol' Think about it. In Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, a tortured soul dragging chains around for eternity. Marley warns Scrooge that he is bound for a similar fate if he doesn't embrace the spirit of the holiday season and show love to his fellow man. Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who show him the error of his ways, yadda yadda yadda, and the old coot is redeemed. But what of Marley, still in chains and misery? What's his reward for this accomplishment? Is he beyond redemption? Well, move over, Scrooge, as Heller Theater presents Marley's version of these events in "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol," a comic-dramatic ghost story that opens Thursday night. During actor Tom Mula's run of 400-plus performances as Scrooge in annual performances of "A Christmas Carol" at a Chicago theater, the 10-year-old daughter of one of Mula's friends commented that Marley gets "a raw deal" in Dickens' story.

Leslie Goshko (from left) plays The Bogle, Jason Watts plays Marley and Whitson Hanna plays Scrooge in Heller Theater’s production of “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.” A. CUERVO / Tulsa World

The star agreed and wrote a play that gives Marley an opportunity to avoid his fate if he can save Scrooge, a separate storyline that works in conjunction with the "Christmas Carol" story unfolding within it, said Devin Meadows, who directs this for Heller.

Mula originally performed the work as a one-man show, dressed in a sportjacket and turtleneck and playing many different characters.

Meadows uses four actors garbed in Christmas sweaters for a night of storytelling.

"Our whole take on the show is we're not trying to draw you into an illusion, another reality: We're presenting four actors in a room telling a story," Meadows said. "So they're going to be dressed as if they're going out Christmas caroling, but instead of going out Christmas caroling, they've shown up at Heller Theater to tell us a story. That's the idea: We're Christmas caroling in the theater."

So the play features one actor primarily dedicated to Marley (Jason Watts), another to Scrooge (Whitson Hanna), another to Marley's helper, a hell-sprite named Bogle (Leslie Goshko) and a fourth actor who plays everyone else (Jamie Vannoy).

"So there are instances where (Vannoy) is playing Bob Cratchit one minute, then one sentence passes, and he's Fred (Scrooge's nephew)," Meadows said with a chuckle. "There are many instances where he doesn't stop walking, and he shifts from one person to another, and he keeps them very clear. It's a great acting challenge."

"For us, it's exciting to get to do Scrooge's greatest hits without the scene to build up to it," he continued. "Like the part with (the Ghost of) Christmas Past when his young love leaves him, and it's the turning point where Scrooge's heart goes out -- we have one sentence to create that moment.

"We're relying on familiarity with the story -- and a wonderful performance, of course -- to create that same emotional moment. It's been exciting to see that come together."

Heller Theater's production of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" has performances scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m. Dec. 16-18. All performances are at Heller Theater, 5328 S. Wheeling Ave. Tickets are $5-$7, and reservations may be made by calling 746-5065.