Dickens of a time
By MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
12/11/2004

Heller Theater's Marley puts fun spin on traditional humbug tale Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is the story of a mean miser whose sole chance at avoiding an eternity of chain-dragging and moaning is to change his soul and see things in a new light. Heller Theater's production of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol," which opened Thursday to a full house, is all about seeing Dickens' tale in a new way, and it's a vivid, comic, beautifully theatrical triumph. It's enough to make you look at the whole season in a new way, an intimate, powerful masterpiece of direction, acting, design and technical proficiency. Director Devin Meadows goes into this revision of the Scrooge story -- told from Marley's perspective -- with the goal of making good theater and making good on offering a holiday-worthy message. He succeeds with this moving tale of persistence, about facing impossible tasks and the choices people make when it looks like there's no hope.

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

The play is a kind of storytelling session, with four actors -- dressed in standard, present-day Christmas sweaters and the like -- telling and role-playing a new story that gives Marley a shot at redemption as well, rather than his traditional go-warn-Scrooge-and-go-away turn

We're introduced immediately to Marley (Jason Watts), who's quite dead but in some kind of afterlife holding space, being briefed on his hellish existence to come. There's much comedy in this set-up from a devilish assistant (Jamie Vannoy) and a sprite named Bogle (Leslie Goshko) who's assigned to guide Marley. She informs Scrooge's business partner that he had many angels watching over him during his life.

"But you outlasted them all," she says, sarcastically adding that the greedy coot's heavenly guardians "moved on to more encouraging prospects: ax murderers and the like."

But there's an offer on the table: Marley has a shot at cosmic freedom, if he can somehow make his old partner see the light of humanity.

"Scrooge?!" he exclaims. "The one man I knew who was worse than I was?"

It's a daunting task, but Marley's preview of his personal hell -- chains that will pierce into him, etc. -- is a palpably fearful event, encouraging him to take a chance with Bogle as his sidekick.

"Marley ground his teeth a bit," Watts said, telling the story and believably grinding his teeth into a lantern-jawed frown, as Goshko's Bogle -- queen of the sarcastic punchline in this play -- chides him with one of many comic endearments ("old muffin," "old plumpot," etc.).

Scrooge (Whitson Hanna) here is crazy cranky, and the actor makes him a squinting, lurching, spitting delight, offering up a single "bah, humbug" for the ages, quoting it as something like "baaaaAAAAAAAhhhhhumbug!"

Hanna is marvelous throughout, even when his Scrooge is in bed asleep, which he is throughout a 15-minute intermission. Watts is just as memorable, matching him scowl-for-scowl as ghost and goat go at it.

But this ghostly visitation business isn't going to be easy, as Scrooge calls Marley on this task, accusing him accurately of the hypocrisy of the situation.

But proceed the pair does, with Marley comically playing Ghost of Christmas Past, as well as Present in an individual journey for Marley that proceeds with Dickens' Scrooge story unfolding around it in playwright Tom Mula's brilliant reworking of the classic.

Heller's small black box theater proves an excellent venue for this storytelling venture, but the real success of the piece lies in its being so self-assured and superbly executed.

An impressive eye for attention to detail can be found everywhere, in the strobe-light effect of a storm, the occasionally haunting incidental music, lighting technician George Romero nailing what might have been a couple of hundred light cues.

There's never a false step in the action, and then there's the satisfaction of Meadows' theatrical magic, creating a memorable Ghost of Christmas Present out of black curtain, building a simple but amazingly effective stage and more.

This play is a challenge, with characters accomplishing multiple roles (especially the hilariously expressive Vannoy), dropping in and out of being in character talking to the audience, or in character within a scene, or narrating to the audience out of character.

It's a ghost story, it's a comedy (watch for a cool shout-out to American Theater Company annual favorite Tyrone Wilkerson in the Ghost of Christmas Present scene, with Watts gleefully proclaiming "Come and know me better, mon," in an instantly recognizable line reading.)

What this show is more than anything is a holiday gift to Tulsans, an example of what live theater is capable of, easily one of this year's best productions you'll see on any stage.

Heller Theater's production of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" continues with an 8 p.m. performance Saturday, a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday and 8 p.m. shows Thursday-Friday and Dec. 18. Heller Theater is located at 5328 S. Wheeling Ave. Tickets are available by calling 746-5065.