BWW Previews: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at North Shore Music Theatre

BWW Preview: North Shore Music Theatre A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Beverly, MA: Bill Hanney's North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) will once again present the area's most beloved production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL sponsored by MarketStreet Lynnfield. This award-winning, original musical adaptation was created solely for North Shore Music Theatre and cannot be seen anywhere else. Two cast members, David Coffee (Ebenezer Scrooge) and Cheryl McMahon (Mrs. Dilber), will be both be celebrating their 25th appearance in the holiday show. A CHRISTMAS CAROL will play 14 performances from Friday, December 7 thru Sunday, December 23, 2018.

"This year's production of A Christmas Carol will be even more festive than ever before. This year we will celebrate two beloved cast members, David Coffee and Cheryl McMahon, who are both marking their twenty-fifth appearance in the show," said NSMT's owner and producer Bill Hanney. "With each passing year, we look forward to watching them perform together on stage. We are never disappointed with the new ways they find to make us laugh, and cry, and fill us with the spirit of the holidays!"

Based on the Charles Dickens classic, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is an original adaptation by former NSMT Artistic Director Jon Kimbell and members of the NSMT staff, following Ebenezer Scrooge through a series of strange and magical ghostly encounters, where he ultimately discovers the true spirit of the holiday season. With dazzling special effects that have grown even more exciting over time, traditional and original songs, and colorful costumes, A CHRISTMAS CAROL has become a holiday favorite throughout New England having been seen by more than one million people since 1989.

I recently spoke with Mr. Coffee (DC) and Ms. McMahon (CM) about what 25 years of performing in this timeless production means to means them. I asked them each the same set of questions.

BWW: How did you start in theatre?

DC: My parents and I had no background in theatre but in second grade I was required to take part in a classroom talent show. Since I loved the Wizard of OZ , I decided to lip sync to a recording playing every part. My teacher was so impressed that she asked me to perform for the other classes as well. After that my teacher encouraged me to take acting classes. I then enrolled in acting classes at Casa Manana a professional Theatre in Fort Worth Texas. After a while they asked me to audition for a production of "The Wind in the Willows" and I was cast as Portly Otter. This was my first role and one I will always remember. The creative designer for the movie "The Planet of the Apes" created the masks that we wore and the scenery and production values were amazing, and I was hooked.

CM: I started in dance classes, then in high school in Arlington, MA I got involved in theatre. Upon graduation someone offered to pay me $50 a week to be in summer-stock theatre and that was it for me. I moved to NYC, joined a touring show and earned my Actors' Equity card and after a time moved back to Massachusetts and starting acting in Boston area productions.

BWW: Was A Christmas Carol your first show at NSMT?

DC: No in the old days NSMT was part of the Straw Hat Circuit of summer touring shows, and I was in a Casa Manana Theatre production that toured to perform one summer at NSMT. I actually toured here twice, and the second time Jon Kimbell who was Artistic Director at the time saw on my resume that I had played Scrooge in two other touring productions of A Christmas Carol. He asked me to read for him and eventually offered me the part.

CM: Yes it was my first role at NSMT and I have loved every minute of these last 25 years. I have performed in many other productions over the years as well, most recently in "Hairspray". I am thankful to the loyalty NSMT shows to local actors.

BWW: What is your favorite thing about performing your roles in A Christmas Carol?

DC: First, Scrooge is an extremely satisfying role, you get to experience the radical change in the man and his personality over the course of the play and that is immensely enjoyable. Second, it is wonderful to see what the play means to the audience and feel them with me at every stage as I go on this journey and finally, just seeing the pure joy on their faces when the show is complete is so meaningful to me.

CM: Working with David Coffee. The improv moments, the spontaneity, and bits we have developed over the years make it so fun and fresh every year, like reconnecting with an old friend. Second, I love the freedom that Jon and the other directors have given us over the years to flesh out our characters and give them life, it is always so much fun.

BWW: How has this production evolved over the years? What makes it different than other A CHRISTMAS CAROL Productions?

DC: This production was specially designed for this theatre. Jon and his creative team spent an entire year planning and imagining the production before they first produced it. Then Jon and the other Directors refined it over many years, to get it to the incredible production you see today.

CM: This production is an amazing Christmas tradition with numerous repeat patrons year after year. There are always gifted creative people at the helm each year, and they are always refining it in small ways such as new musical additions or improvements, and they take into account new cast members' ideas and the special talents that these new cast members may bring to the production.

BWW: After 25 years do you change things in your performance, or in your approach to the character, to keep things fresh?

DC: I find that my biggest job is to be totally clued into the story and to react to the scenes unfolding before me. There are always new actors playing different parts, with different timing, and different approaches to their characters, so it is always changing, always fresh each year because of this. Also, I always think of a story I heard a few years ago about the famous director Sam Mendez. He decided to see the cast of Cabaret after the show had been running for a while to check up on things. He came backstage after the show and they said how did we do? He said excellent, but I want you to do something for me. When you exit if you always turn left backstage, turn right. If you always come off and talk to someone, come off and talk to someone, different, mix it up and it will keep things from getting stale and too set in routines. I think this is good advice and I try to take this approach in every show I do.

CM: I re-read the novel. I find new character moments to fill out based on the text of the novel, for me this is a tried and true approach. Everything starts from the text, it is all there; the atmosphere, the social mores and behavior, the speech patterns, it is all there and it helps with spontaneity.

BWW: What in your opinion should the audience take away from this production? Or what makes it timeless?

DC: Everyone should see this show each year. It resets your priorities in your life by reminding you what is really important.

CM: The production has a great deal of respect for the literary work, it is musical, magical, and inspired, which should lead to everyone being inspired. It is a win/win for the audience and the cast, as much as they love seeing the production we love performing it for them. It is timeless because I think Jon Kimbell understood the pulse of the North Shore audiences, and knew he was creating something very special for them, and because of this it has become a wonderful family tradition.

BWW: A special question for Mr. Coffee. Is there anything you want to say to the audiences after 25 years?

DC: A huge Thank you!! It has been a privilege performing for them over the last 25 years. I would feel lost without this production in my life, it is great therapy to realign my life, and a great honor, performing Scrooge each and every year, and working with old friends and meeting new ones. I wish to thank everyone involved for this truly wonderful opportunity.

The cast of 27 actors will also feature many local young performers including Isabella Carroll (Belinda Cratchit), Jake Ryan Flynn (London Boy),Jospeh Flynn (London Boy), Asher Navisky (Peter Cratchit), Grace Olah (Fan), Cam Perrin (Ensemble), AJ Scott (Tiny Tim), and Nicole Talbot (Martha Cratchit), and Wade Gleeson Turner (Boy Scrooge).

The creative team for A CHRISTMAS CAROL includes Kevin P. Hill (Director and Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Direction),Howard C. Jones (Original Scenic Design), Kelly Baker (Costume Coordinator and additional Costume Design), Jack Mehler (Lighting Design), Leon Rothenberg (Sound Design), Natalie A. Lynch (Production Stage Manager), Dakotah Wiley Horan (Assistant Stage Manager), and Robert L. Rucinski (Assistant Music Director). Flying effects are provided by ZFX, Inc. A CHRISTMAS CAROL is produced for North Shore Music Theatre byBill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Kevin P. Hill (Producing Artistic Director), and Matthew Chappell (Associate Producer, Casting Director).

Throughout the run of A CHRISTMAS CAROL NSMT will be collecting toys in the lobby for Tiny Tim's Toy Drive. NSMT will be accepting unopened, unwrapped toys for boys and girls ages 2 - 12. All toys will be donated to Toys for Tots.

Tickets for A CHRISTMAS CAROL are priced from $64 to $79 - all tickets for children 18 and under are $35. Performances are December 7 - December 23, 2018 (Evening shows December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, and 22 at 7:30pm; Matinees December 8, 9, 15, 16, and 22 at 2pm). Tickets can be purchased by calling the North Shore Music Theatre Box Office at (978) 232-7200, via the website at www.nsmt.org or in person at 62 Dunham Road (Route 128, exit 19), Beverly, MA.

Additional Free Audience Enrichment events: OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the Gay and Lesbian Community with a post-show reception (sponsored in part by Ryan & Wood Inc. Distilleries) on December 14 after the 7:30 pm performance.