A Christmas Carol at Broadway Rose – Not the Usual Fare

By Tina Arth

I was shocked to read in the Director’s Notes that Dan Murphy, co-director (with Annie Kaiser) of A Christmas Carol – The Musical at Broadway Rose, had never watched the show on stage, read the novella, or even seen the cartoon. On reflection, however, it makes sense – some elements of this musical depart sharply from Dickensian canon, and may be best addressed with a fresh eye. Perhaps no one raised on visions of Ebenezer Scrooge as Alastair Sim, Patrick Stewart, or Mr. Magoo would ever have cast the swarthy, hulking, full-voiced Paul Cosca in the lead role – but it works beautifully, and this casting anchors a uniquely entertaining and comic vision of the quintessential holiday classic.

Alan Menken, Lynn Ahrens, and Mike Ockrent teamed up to create a new version of A Christmas Carol, staged annually at the Paramount Theatre in Madison Square Garden from 1994 through 2003, and released as a Hallmark television film in 2004.  Menken and Ahrens’ 16 songs keep the show bright and lively, and showcase abundant powerful ensemble work as well as some stunning solo voices. The Broadway Rose production features a stripped-down cast (only eight actors), appropriate to the smaller stage and pandemic limitations, but most actors play numerous roles so all of the key characters (Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, the Ghosts, etc.) are fully represented.

The surprise standout in the cast is Broadway Rose newcomer Victoria Spelman, whose recent time at the Dell’arte School of Physical Theatre paid off in spades. She is hilariously snarky in a brief bit as Scrooge’s housekeeper, but it’s her portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Past that moves her into the stratosphere. The combination of her costume, gorgeous voice, and comedic flair evoke a vision of Julie Andrews playing the world’s tallest Munchkin. When she is partnered with choreographer Robert Head, who plays Fred, Young Ebenezer, and a host of other roles, the duo find perfect harmony as vocalists and dancers, bringing the show some of its most captivating moments.

William Shindler is another unexpected delight as both Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Present – the script allows for a lighthearted approach, and Shindler takes full advantage. Broadway Rose newcomer Valentina Silva’s petite frame allows her to believably play both adult and child roles, while making full use of her clear and rich soprano range. Speaking of petite – young Francesco Germano’s stage presence in his acting debut as Tiny Tim (and others) is unforgettable – when he’s on stage, it’s hard to see anyone else. However, it’s never possible to entirely overlook Cosca’s Scrooge. Despite his substantial frame, he manages to shrink and grow as the moment requires, and his big-voiced “Nothing To Do With Me” sets the stage perfectly for what will follow.

Robert Vaughn’s scenic design, an elaborate London backdrop, creates just the right mood while allowing for nearly instantaneous changes of scenery, a feat somehow matched by costume designer Sydney Dufka. The costumes are elaborate and frequently whimsical, and the eight cast members are able to change clothes (and roles) in the time it takes for a single actor to walk across the stage. Music Director/Conductor Darcy White performs the double miracle of turning eight vocalists into a massive ensemble while four musicians become an orchestra.

No matter how many versions of A Christmas Carol you may have seen, do not miss this fresh and funny take – it’s the perfect way to kick off the most wonderful time of the year!

A Christmas Carol is playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through Thursday, December 23d.

 

The Chinese Lady Comes to Portland for Tea and More

Bern Tan and Barbie Wu

 

By Tina Arth

Among the many reasons to love the gradual resurgence of live theater this fall, perhaps the best is the focus on smaller-cast, lesser-known works that might have been overlooked in a sea of better-known audience magnets. Nowhere is this principle illustrated more elegantly than in Artists Repertory Theatre’s current production of Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady.  Director Lava Alapai’s deft touch and her superb two-person cast deliver a 75-minute ride of gentle comedy and bitingly current cultural commentary that leaves the audience thoroughly entertained, edified, and shaken by closing curtain.

 

The play, which is based on a true story, tells the tale of Afong Moy, allegedly the first Chinese woman to set foot on U.S. soil. In 1834, at the age of fourteen, she was sent by her family to some importers of exotic goods in the United States, where she was put on display as a curiosity for white people. What was to have been a two-year commitment turns into nearly five decades of “performing” by sitting in a stylized “Chinese” room while demonstrating how she eats, what she wears, and (as each show’s grand finale) how she walks with her tiny bound feet. She initially speaks no English, and is accompanied throughout by her translator, Atung, whom she jokingly describes as irrelevant although he is her only conduit between Chinese and American culture and language. After several decades possession is transferred to P. T. Barnum as a sideshow, but her allure lessens as she ages, and when she is 62 Barnum imports another young Chinese girl in her place. Afong’s original goal was to foster understanding between two very different cultures, but she gradually realizes that she is just being used as a tool of imperialist exploitation – in one particularly telling sequence, she dispassionately describes the process of foot-binding, declaring that she does not believe it is a terrible custom – then adds her zinger: that some Western traditions, such as corsets and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, are at least as barbaric.

 

Barbie Wu’s “Afong” is nothing short of phenomenal – alternately innocent, sly, witty, and ultimately enraged as the decades wear on, Afong learns about the brutal treatment of Asians in America, and comes to understand the role she plays. With only subtle changes in her hair and clothing, she uses her voice and body to transform herself from early adolescence to old age. Some of Wu’s best moments are those with Bern Tan (“Atung”).  Most of their interactions are indirect, and often involve only body language – rolling eyes, a toss of the head or a sarcastic smile that conveys worlds about the strange relationship between the pair. Tan is particularly funny in the scene where he portrays both himself and Andrew Jackson, as he switches from his own carefully modulated voice and restrained body to Jackson’s loud and obscenely vulgar persona.

 

Given the recent resurgence of anti-Asian sentiment around the United States, the time could not be better for this evocative exploration of our nation’s ongoing, troubled relationship with Asian immigrants.  From set to costumes to lighting, The Chinese Lady is a physically gorgeous show that will not leave its audience unchanged.

 

Artists Repertory Theatre’s The Chinese Lady is playing in the Ellyn Bye Studio at Portland Center Stage with performances 7:30 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday – Sunday through November 14^th.