Ebenezer (Allan MacAskill) is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Jennifer Ritchie) at the Capitol Centre during the world premiere of Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre's Ebenezer.
With the audience jumping to their feet before the finale was four bars in, it is safe to say the public has spoken and there can be no doubt that Paul Tessier has struck gold with his adaptation of Dickens Christmas Carol ‘Ebenezer’.
“Ebenezer cast and crew: AMAZING,” notes Lisa Hillis-O’Kane.
“What a delightful night of community theatre.”
“I loved watching the kids shine with all those wonderful adult role models around them … take a deep bow everyone!”
“Ebenezer is a must see,” tweets Anthony Rota.
“5 stars and 2 thumbs up but only two nights left at the Capitol Centre in North Bay.”
“Don’t miss it.”
Quebec business man Christian Ruby, who purchased a ticket Thursday after seeing a poster by the coffee machine at Redpath, says he simply can’t believe the calibre of show he witnessed.
"I have seen many plays in my life – I have been to the New York Metropolitan Opera, I have tickets for the Broadway Lion King play next February, all this not to show off but simply to give you a reference point so that you can better judge of the review I am about to give you about Ebenezer," he says.
"Simply put, Ebenezer is one the best plays I have seen in my entire life! Too bad my spouse was not with me to enjoy this unique, beautiful Charles Dickens story."
"To see a play of this quality, in my area I know I would have paid at least three or four times the price of the $20 ticket I bought yesterday."
"All I can say is that I hope someday in a very near future, your Ebenezer play would come to Montreal or in any other place where we could see it during the Holidays Season, since a consultant’s life is not to stay for ever at a client site, therefore the only chance I would have to see your play again is if you make it travel in other cities."
"And again, I would be willing to pay 3 to 4 times the price I paid yesterday, times 2 for I would love my wife to see it to, to see that beautiful play again and those magnificent vocal and acting performances of all your team. They were simply INCREDIBLE, AWESOME !"
Allan MacAskill embodies Ebenezer, who is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted cantankerous old man who has nothing but “Bah, humbug” to say about Christmas and all the joy it brings.
But with joy in his heart and a skip in his step he leaves the audience with no doubt he has been redeemed after a visit from the ghosts of Christmas and the tale of poor ‘Tiny’ Tim Cratchit played by Sophie Dottori.
Dottori, Mary Kennedy, Raymond Gauthier and Dominique Ethier, with help from a beautiful musical score written by Mark Allen and Ted Chase, establish their characters quickly and help tell the tale.
The harmonies Gauthier (Young Scrooge) and Kennedy (his fiancée) deliver are spellbinding, while Ethier’s performance of “Who’ll Be Strong For Me” is a gut wrenching tale of sorrow that speaks to a parent’s heart and doesn’t leave a dry eye in the house.
Darlene Laferriere and Tracey Berti add a welcomed bit of respite and cheer as they regale the audience with their thoughts on their boss Mr. Scrooge.
“Not only were the very creative decors, the play, voices and costumes were amazing and so perfect, but most of all, actors who played create lots of emotions in the audience. I could not help but be moved many times during the play, sad or happy, and only good actors can transmit that emotion so well to the audience," adds Ruby.
To say what Allen and Chase have penned is anything short of pure genius would be an injustice.
In fact it is Broadway worthy and notice could be sent to Andrew Lloyd Webber that he is about to be knocked on his backside as there is a “new game” in town.
The duo weaves a story from joy to heart break and back to rejuvenation.
Chad Wolfe kicks the show up a notch with his choreographed fiddle and step dance numbers that capture the era of days long ago.
If the music and dance numbers are not enough for the audience to feast upon, Tessier along with Visual Designer Kurtis Summers has devised a multi-technical set that would rival any production.
The state of the art projections, coupled with costumes designed by Lynn Morrison, transport the audience back to London during the Victorian era with ease.
Then Tessier sprinkled an already delightful show with a pinch of magic and introduces flying ghosts, courtesy of a machine designed by engineer Ray Girard, and a monster puppet for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
Not only is this show one the whole family can enjoy, but it is a show full of families.
The Bell-Summersby clan take to stage with Jocelyn and her step son Darren dancing and singing their hearts, while husband Chris is Assistant Stage Manager and rounding out the family affair are Stewart and Anne Bell.
Other families represented on stage are: Neil Kennedy (band member) and Mary Kennedy, Jeremy Cormier (Bob Cratchit) and his daughter Kaley (young Cratchit), Jennifer Gordon and her children Aili, Gifford and Emi, as well as Paolo (Jacob Marley) and Sophie Dottori.
It was a huge gamble for Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre to take on a production not yet proven – the gamble paid off tenfold.
The show continues through to the Sunday December 1st matinee.
Tickets are are $20.00 for adults and $17.00 for students/seniors and available at Creative Learning or at the Capitol Centre box office or online at http://www.capitolcentre.org/.
BayToday spoke with the Tessier, Allen, Chase and Wolfe in early fall about this historic venture check out what they had to say: http://www.baytoday.ca/content/news/details.asp?c=53404
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