To start your FREE subscription to the Triangle Review, click
SUBSCRIBE-TR. You may UNSUBSCRIBE-TR at any time.

Edited and Published by Robert W. McDowell

December 1, 2022 Issue
PART 6 (December 2, 2022)

A FREE Weekly E-mail Newsletter Covering Theater, Dance, Music, and Film in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area of North Carolina Since April 2001.

PART 6A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY ROBERT O'CONNELL

The  Temple  Theatre  of  Sanford's  Joyous  Musical
Version of A Christmas Carol Is a Holiday Classic


Shawn Heifert (left) and Peter Battis star as Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (photo by Ravenne Pantoja)

The Temple Theatre of Sanford's very own annual presentation of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Michael Hoagland and Peggy Taphorn from the 1843 short novel by Charles Dickens, is a holiday classic; but the 2022 production is so much more. Bring your families -- particularly the kids -- to experience the joy of the season. I was impressed at every level by this version of A Christmas Carol, which adds a lively array of music, singing, and dancing.

A Christmas Carol, which is set in bleak mid-19th century London, is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter and miserly businessman who has no use for Christmas nor the joy that it brings to others. Scrooge has been portrayed by many actors over the past century, including Alistair Sim, Mr. Magoo (cartoon), Albert Finney, Michael Caine (with The Muppets), George C. Scott, https://Bill%20Murray, Patrick Stewart, and even Susan Lucci as a female "Ebbie" Scrooge. The story is about redemption and forgiveness and is an early version of the "Dream Sequence" plot device. It is at various times a drama, a comedy, a ghost story, and a family story.

Adapter Peggy Taphorn also directs and choreographs this version of Dickens' story -- for the ninth time at this venue -- adding traditional Christmas songs as well as several original numbers written by Michael Hoagland. The pair strikes a superb balance, lightening the original darker material with a nice helping of humor and joy. Musical director Gavan Pamer delivers the music with flawless precision and production.


Gus Allen (left) stars as Bob Cratchit and Isabelle Toepher (or Sawyer Hendrick) stars as Tiny Tim (photo by Heather Garrity Photography)

As the play revolves around the character of Scrooge, the actor in the role can make or break the production. Peter Battis' Scrooge is absolutely wonderful. He is quite convincing as a horrible human being who reluctantly finds the motivation to change. The rest of the cast, while wonderful, is a bit trickier to describe.

The cast for this, the third show of the theater's 2022-23 season includes nearly 60 actors from age eight and up with nearly 40 being under 18. Don't think that this lessens the quality of the production. Every performer is rock solid. As a matter of fact, at least one of the lead performers performed as a child in a previous incarnation of this show!

The entire cast was great; but I am not diving into individual performances, because of the Ensemble nature of this production. Several of the parts in this show are doubled, meaning there is a "Red" team and a "Green" team, performing in alternate performances. Many of the young performers are members of the Temple Academy and the Temple Teen Ensemble. The young members in the cast performed as a choir, singing an array of holiday tunes before the show, so be sure to arrive at least a half-hour prior to showtime for this additional treat.


Peter Battis (left) and Tyler Stouffer star as Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present (photo by Heather Garrity Photography)

Aside from writing and directing, Peggy Taphorn also serves as choreographer and costume designer for this show. The dance numbers are perfectly coordinated, giving nearly all of the cast members a chance to shine. The costumes are simply spectacular. They are true to the period and evolved with the story. Most remarkably, there must have been more than 100 of them, including hats and wigs.

The theater itself is nearly 100 years old and as spotless and comfortable as though it were nearly new. Every seat is close enough to the stage to see every actor's expressions. Another plus is that you can see the entire six-show main-stage season at the Temple Theatre for about the price of one ticket to a big bus-and-truck production. The extra value will allow you to bring the whole family. Sanford is less than an hour from nearly all of the Triangle, and it is an easy ride.

I typically encourage theatergoers to consider taking their children to many of these shows. This is a perfect example. A Christmas Carol will fill your kid's eyes and ears with something that television cannot offer. This show, in particular, will allow them to see people their own age produce wonderful art. Give them a chance to fall in love with live theater.

Speaking with Gavan Pamer during intermission, he told me that earlier that day (9:30 a.m.), the cast had a performance for local school kids. Pamer polled the audience and found that 75-90 percent of these kids had never seen a live theater performance prior to this one. It is one of the main reasons that Temple Theatre and their amazing team exists. You have a little more than two weeks to take advantage of this experience and to share it with your kids. It would be a great holiday gift for the family.


The Temple Theatre will stage Michael Hoagland and Peggy Taphorn's musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens'
1843 novel and directed and choreographed by Taphorn, with musical direction by Gavan Pamer, on Dec. 1-18 (photo by Ravenne Pantoja)

Michael Hoagland and Peggy Taphorn's musical adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (In Person at 2 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2-4, 8-11, and 15-18), based on the 1843 short novel A Christmas Carol, in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens, directed and choreographed by Peggy Taphorn, with musical direction by Gavan Pamer, and starring Peter Battis as Ebenezer Scrooge, Gus Allen as Bob Cratchit, Shawn Heifert as Jacob Marley, Patrick Holt as Scrooge's nephew Fred, Cora Stumpf and Karrington Welch alternating as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tyler Stouffer as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scotland Hawes and Hayden Sullivan alternating as Ginger and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Arya Scarlet as Mrs. Cratchit, Sawyer Hendrick and Isabelle Toepher alternating as Tiny Tim, Akili Holder-Cozart as a Laundress, Michael Jones as Old Joe, Deanna Richards as a Charwoman, Christopher Kyle as Young Scrooge, Kelsey Wilson as Belle, Jordan Watson as Mr. Fezziwig, Claudia Austin as Mrs. Fezziwig, and Cal Bumgardner as Jasper, with Scarlet, Wilson, and Bumgardner forming three parts of the Quartet and Holder-Cozart, Jones, and Richards comprising the Charity Trio (Temple Theatre of Sanford). VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. 2022-23 MAIN-STAGE SEASON: http://templeshows.com/#mainstage. THE PRESENTER/VENUE: http://templeshows.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TempleTheatreNC, https://www.instagram.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://twitter.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Theatre_(Sanford,_North_Carolina), and https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. DIRECTIONS: http://templeshows.com/contact. COVID-19 GUIDELINES: http://templeshows.com/tickets/temple-theatre-covid-guidelines. NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and there is a hearing-loop system is available for all devices with T-coil wireless receivers. TICKETS: $20-$32, including fees. Click here to buy tickets. GROUP RATES (10+ tickets): http://templeshows.com/tickets#id-928. INFORMATION: 919-774-4155 or boxoffice@templeshows.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Temple Theatre of Sanford.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Robert O'Connell is a playwright, and has had dozens of productions and awards throughout the world. He has a MS degree in Management Systems Analysis. A lifelong educator, O'Connell has also published three novels at http://www.flashmobthenovel.com/ and two humor anthologies from his blog, https://thesmartestguyiknow.wordpress.com/. He and his wife have settled in Cary, NC.

 


WHAT: Triangle Review is a FREE weekly e-mail performing-arts and film newsletter, edited and published by Robert W. McDowell since April 2001.

TO SUBSCRIBE: To start your FREE subscription today, sign up in the subscription box at the beginning of this e-mail; or e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail all questions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to RobertM748@aol.com. For Letters to the Editor, please include a daytime telephone number in your e-mail.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content in all formats © 2022 Triangle Review and the author of each article. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Triangle Review and the respective authors is prohibited. Triangle Review maintains an archive of past issues. To request copies of past articles and/or issues, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com.