Bonnie Quigley winced when her LaPorte Little Theatre colleagues asked her to direct “A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley” this season.
If she accepted, it would be her fourth time directing the holiday staple, where Ebenezer Scrooge terrorizes a town with his stinginess before ghosts show him his past, present and future. Plus, the version they wanted to do is a traditional version, and there’s only so many times one can direct the same play without being bored to tears.
“I’ve done the traditional, and I’ve done really campy and kitschy. One version we did totally out of a trunk,” Quigley said. “I was worried that going back to traditional version wouldn’t be fresh.”
Her concerns were unfounded, though, as the Israel Horovitz version she and co-director Jim Snyder are using changes things up a bit. Jacob Marley’s ghost narrates the show, so he’ll be a creepy, dominating force, according to Quigley, popping up here, there and everywhere around the theater.
There will also not be any blackouts, so people will see the set changes as the actors perform.
“We’ll have people on stage at all times, so the performance will be seamless throughout. The ‘curtain’ is the carolers who’ll come on stage to sing,” Quigley said. “There’s a lot of body language being used that will make the performance kind of scary, but also bring some humor to it.”
Quigley, who’s directed at least 30 shows with LaPorte Little Theatre, had nothing but praise for the cast. Noel Carson, who plays Marley, is a particular revelation, she said, and the children are learning a ton from the experience.
The set, meanwhile, transforms the 150 year-old church into a scene out of the Industrial Revolution, and period costuming will bring the look home.
“As I got into directing this version, I liked it more and more,” Quigley said. “Jim Snyder is a joy to work with, and this is a happy collaboration.”
Additionally, local veteran actor Doug Campbell plays the infamous Scrooge.
Michelle Quinn is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
“A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley”
Where: LaPorte Little Theatre, 218 A Street, LaPorte
Tickets: $12
When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and Dec. 18-19; 2 p.m. Dec. 12-13 and Dec. 20
More Top Picks Best Subwoofers
Information: 219-362-5113 or laportelittletheatreclub.org