Harlequin Productions’ premieres its own take on Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

Harlequin Productions is greeting the holiday season the way many theaters across the country do: with a production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

It’s a tale artistic director Aaron Lamb has called “the greatest ghost story of all time and the greatest redemption story of all time” and one he knows well.

“As an actor, I did a holiday show every year for a little over a decade, and most of them were ‘A Christmas Carol,’ ” said Lamb, who created and is directing the 80-minute show. “This is sort of a collage of all of the best workings of ‘A Christmas Carol’ that I’ve experienced.”

He’s aiming to launch a tradition with his take on the holiday classic, and this is the company’s third consecutive “Carol.” In 2019, Harlequin’s holiday offering was the Scrooge-Sherlock mashup “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol,” and 2020 brought an online radio play version of the classic.

The new production, opening Friday, Nov. 26, sticks to Dickens’ original characters and takes most of its dialog from the book, but there are surprises in store, including spooky special effects, the possibility of snow falling on the audience and a Ghost of Christmas Future like none you’ve ever seen before (or at least like none Lamb has ever seen before, and he’s seen a lot of them).

Lamb also is departing from tradition when it comes to just how and when Ebenezer Scrooge — played by Terry Edward Moore, who also starred in “Sherlock” and the radio-style “Carol” — changes from jerky to jolly.

“The challenge with bringing Scrooge from the page to the stage is that for him, (seeing the ghost of Jacob) Marley is enough,” Lamb said. “By the time the next spirit gets there, he’s scared. He’s ready to change. That’s not a very good arc for Scrooge. We wanted to define the one singular moment where Scrooge breaks — where we see the humanity in him and he really turns around.”

Moore of Seattle, who’s played both Scrooge and Sherlock numerous times, isn’t the only actor whose presence in a Harlequin “Carol” is already becoming a tradition: Harlequin regular Russ Holm, who played Watson in “Case” and the Ghost of Christmas Past in the radio play, is back as Marley, Scrooge’s late business partner, and other roles.

Also in the cast — and all playing more than one role — are Kate Anders, Nathan Rice, Jana Tyrrell, Harlequin newcomer Andrew Yabroff and Lamb himself, plus four young actors who’ll share roles.

Teddy Clifthorne, 7 and in second grade at Lincoln Options Elementary, and Wade Mutchler, 9 and in third grade at Lincoln, will portray Tiny Tim, young Scrooge and others.

Twana Beedle, 9 and in fourth grade at Boston Harbor Elementary, and Eleanor Rose Kinn, 11 and in fifth grade at Lincoln, will play characters, including young Fan (Scrooge’s sister) and Martha Cratchit.

“I don’t want to give anything away, but the girls have a pretty big role,” Lamb said.

‘A Christmas Carol’

• What: Harlequin Productions is aiming to start a new holiday tradition with artistic director Aaron Lamb’s version of the Charles Dickens classic.
• When: Nov. 26-Dec. 31 with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m.
• Where: State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
• Tickets: $49, $45 for seniors and military, $25 for students and youths
• More information: 360-786-0151, https://harlequinproductions.org
• COVID restrictions: Proof of vaccination or a negative test result is required.
• Also: Still on stage at Harlequin are “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” (closing Nov. 27) and “Until the Flood” (through Dec. 4).