A CHRISTMAS CAROL, PART II, by Bob Bedore; Off Broadway Theatre, 272 S. Main. Continues Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through Jan. 2. All seats reserved. Tickets: $8 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens and $5 for children, 12 and under. Box office: 355-4628. Running time: 2 hours (one intermission).
Christmas bells are ringing, the "Nutcracker" is coming and many Utahns are finding the holiday spirit at Crossroads Plaza, the ZCMI Mall or Temple Square. However, those aren't the only downtown venues of cheer.The Off Broadway Theater, known for its colorful adaptions of popular classics, is presenting locals a revival of its version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Only OBT's story takes place the year after Scrooge saw his ghosts, gave Bob Cratchett the day off and became Tiny Tim's personal slave.
The aptly titled "A Christmas Carol, Part II," written by Bob Bedore and directed by Zac Zumbrunnen, turns Scrooge into a stooge, Bob Cratchett into a philandering con-man and Tiny Tim into an oaf the size of a linebacker.
How clever.
The play began slowly with an opening narration from Charles (or "Chuck") Dickens. The purpose of this tactic was to catch the audience up to speed -- not that they couldn't have figured out the premise out on their own.
Finally, after five minutes of debriefing, Act I began.
Each act was broken into four scenes that strongly resembled short comedy sketches. Each contained several sight gags and one musical number, which were actually Christmas carols with Bedore's lyrics.
There were the customary dance routines, with choreography that became rather goofy and silly. This was especially evident in the dance number with Scrooge (Eric Jensen) and Belle (Melissa Porter), which began on a more serious note and ended as a silly, childish duet.
Bedore's script was also filled with attempts at cheekiness, quick-tongued jabs and wordplay. However, "A Christmas Carol, Part II" did not quite achieve the level of sharpness found in Mel Brooks' best films or the works of Monty Python.
"A Christmas Carol, Part II" did have some moments of great laughter. One being Scrooge's attempt to awaken his love, Belle, who has fallen asleep in the snow. Because he is with the Ghost of Christmas Future (Jennifer Anderton), Belle cannot hear him. Desperately, Scrooge pulls out a megaphone and yells, "Don't Go To Sleep" directly into the dying Belle's ears. Belle, of course, reacts to this, and the crowd loved it.
Tiny Tim also drew a great reaction from the crowd. Actor Robert Bogue played this character with complete fluidity. He drew on the audience's energy and milked it for all it was worth.
Despite the fact that this sequel comes off as more of a road show than a professional comedic performance, "A Christmas Carol, Part II" succeeds in pleasing its audience and in prepping all for another season of giving.