Retrospect Arts. The Bakehouse Theatre. 17 Dec 2014
Philip Zachariah has been performing his one-hander ‘A Christmas Carol’ around Australia for several years now. The work - one of Charles Dickens's most popular - was written in 1843, and it has never been out of print. Reaching the stage the following year, Dickens himself publicly read an abbreviated version of his novella over a hundred times, and this show, I'm sure, is an enlivened re-enactment of the same.
For those who have missed this important part of Christmas all their lives, the pejorative "Scrooge," "Bah, humbug!", Tiny Tim, and the film, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, all originate from this tender tale of redemption. The miserly and miserable Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas, until he is visited on Christmas Eve by ghosts that convince him otherwise. The famous 1951 film, staring Alastair Sim, was obligatory viewing on Christmas Eve in the Grybowski household in Canada, and unfortunately saved us the trouble of reading the book.
Zachariah, resplendent and startling in period formal attire and beard, would be at home in a Chekhov play or a Dostoevsky novel. He vividly and energetically portrayed all the characters with sharp distinction and individualised expression. Alongside conveying many heartfelt moments and humorous situations and vignettes, Zachariah resorts to dance and often demonstrates a surprising physical capacity in his aged protagonist.
However, I think Dickens's diction could have been delivered with more clarity. Scrooge was rendered as a small, withered man, tight as a dried prune, and this often resulted in a choked vocalisation, culminating when Scrooge was giddy with Christmas, but expressed with a forced and annoying laughter. Perhaps director James Adler, uncredited in the program, should have another listen.
You have only one more night to succumb to Zachariah's enchanting performance. Scrooge's transformation to generosity and love puts the awe back into Christmas, and Zachariah leads the way.
David Grybowski
When: 17 to 18 Dec
Where: The Bakehouse Theatre
Bookings: Closed
