and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photos courtesy of Sean Carter Photography<\/em><\/p>\n A Christmas Carol cast<\/p><\/div>\n Meadow Brook Theatre returns with yet another gorgeous, glowing production of \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d. Now in its 41st<\/sup> year, many of the cast and crew are long-time veterans. This is must-see holiday theatre at its best, and is a longstanding tradition for many families in the Metro Detroit area. If you haven\u2019t seen it yet, do so, and you will understand why.<\/p>\n Although the story is so well-known, and nearly ubiquitous this time of year ever since it was first published in 1843, \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d by Charles Dickens<\/strong> remains an important and culturally relevant work. The timeless themes explored in this tale \u2013 charity for the poor, the treatment of children, love of home and family, hope and forgiveness \u2013 have become a central part of the Christmas celebration.<\/p>\n In his 37th<\/sup> performance, Thomas D. Mahard<\/strong> returns as the ideal Scrooge. He\u2019s a man who lives a haunted, joyless existence, a pathologically greedy and unpleasant character. Can he find redemption with the help of four ghostly messengers? Or is Dickens telling us there is hope for everyone, no matter how far they\u2019ve fallen, as long as someone still living believes in them? Aside from pondering the metaphysical, it\u2019s fun to watch Mahard interact with the other characters, even if we know what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n Marley returns<\/p><\/div>\n Played by Antonio Vettraino<\/strong>, Scrooge\u2019s good-natured nephew Fred offers a relentlessly cheerful contrast to his grouchy uncle. Scrooge\u2019s dear departed business partner, Jacob Marley (in a brief but impressive turn by Anthony Guest<\/strong>), makes a dramatic entrance though a trap door, bound by heavy chains, accompanied by a riff of heavy metal music and a blast of smoke from the depths of you-know-where. He\u2019s on a mission to save old Scrooge from a similar fate.<\/p>\n The gentle Spirit of Christmas Past (played to angelic perfection by Mary Magyari<\/strong>) transports Scrooge to his childhood and youth, where he sees the love he once had before he abandoned light for darkness. In an ingenious bit of casting, Tamara Della Anderson <\/strong>embraces the role of the boisterously jovial and kindly Spirit of Christmas Present (typically played by a bearded male actor). She presents Scrooge with delights and treats of the season – making us hungry – and takes him on a journey around London town this Christmas Eve night. He realizes, more than ever, what he\u2019s missing and how he needs to change. In what is perhaps one of the most dramatic moments in the play, she reveals from beneath her flowing skirts two bedraggled children: a boy named Ignorance, and a girl named Want. Both are dangerous, the Spirit warns, but especially beware of Ignorance. It\u2019s a message that reaches through the centuries.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Christmas-Carol-cast.jpg\")
<\/a>Dickens\u2019 Eternal Message Endures at MBT<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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