Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again opens at the La Jolla Playhouse

by Cassiopeia Guthrie, November 24, 2024

La Jolla Playhouse is jumping into the holiday hullaballoo with their newest production, the aptly named Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again, a world premiere on the Potiker stage.

The production, written by UCSD alum Anna Ouyand Moench, captures a different angle on the traditional yuletide production... quite literally, it turns out... sneaking into the back recesses of the theatre and following young actor Eddie (Miles H. Jackson) as he transitions from a post-Juilliard career reckoning (while playing Fred Cratchit) through his eventual ascension to grouchy old Scrooge.

Featuring a small ensemble cast (Marco Barricelli, Juliet Brett, Tony Larkin, Maria Elena Ramirez, and Xavier J. Bush) who rotate between four "generations" of Christmas Carol performers in 1997, 2001, 2010, and 2023, the characters are well executed, though sometimes difficult to distinguish between; this is an unavoidable side effect of having the same set of actors jump into multiple iterations of each role (Scrooge, Lucy, Bob, Mrs. Cratchit, and Fred) in the same costumes as the story progresses, with only minute set details, including a small calendar on a cork board, to distinguish the shift in time. That said, everyone seemed comfortable with their various characters and had good rapport with one another on stage.

The play is being billed as a love letter to actors and those who have spent significant time in a green room will certainly recognize many behaviors, idiosyncrasies, and personalities appearing before them. There's the over-serious ingenue, a jaded here-for-the-insurance weeks cast member, a reticent child actor whose mom's ambition is bigger than her own, and a larger than life Scrooge who hangs on just a few years past his prime. The green room set is dressed with artfully tacky furniture, stained rugs, and just enough clutter to be believable. The stage manager is appropriately harangued.

As a result, the show finds some beats that have the audience roaring and others that have them holding their collective breath. Ultimately, I suspect this is a show intended for the theatre folx - the performers and techies in the audience - who will feel moments that resonate with devastating truth and others that veer a little too close to memory. Others might not be in on all of the jokes, but if reality television is any indicator, may enjoy the sneak peek nonetheless.

Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again plays at the La Jolla Playhouse through December 15.