More Theater Monday - A Christmas Carol The Musical

We received complimentary tickets to A Christmas Carol the Musical for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: A Christmas Carol The Musical

Where: Lackland Performing Arts Center

             715 Grand Ave.

             Hackettstown, NJ

Who: Recommended for Ages 5 and Up

When: Through December 15, 2024

Michael Fleischer is perfectly cast in the lead role of Centenary Stage Company's production of A Christmas Carol. He is equally adept as the irascible old miser and later as the beneficent bestower of kindness. 

The quartet of actors playing the ghosts is also quite quite memorable. Cody Jackson channels Beetlejuice in the role of Marley's ghost. Megan Schmeidhauser's bubbly and effervescent Ghost of Christmas Past is reminiscent of the actress, Carol Kane.  Kai Viavla's joviality as the Ghost of Christmas Present belies his serious mission. Ariana Cacipppo's silent gothic Ghost of Christmas Future is a dead ringer for Wednesday Addams. 

Noel Pepin is an adorable Tiny Tim although his singing sometimes seems a little off as does the singing of a few other cast members  For the most part the singing is good, however. 

The design elements come together beautifully to set the scene. The scenic design wonderfully evokes the sense of a Victorian village. The backlighting shining through the windows and lighting up the moon at the back of the stage charmingly brings the town to life. The sound is understated but perfectly placed like the rattling Marley's bones during his song

The choreography skillfully incorporates a variety of dance styles. They include tap, ballet,  Irish jig, and more. Some of the standout dance numbers include the ghost dance and the dance of the Ghost of Christmas Future.

The music composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens is not quite up to the standards of Menken's work with his collaborators on his more popular musicals or Lynn's with her usual writing partner, Stephen Flaherty. Still, the songs are much more memorable than in other musical versions of A Christmas Carol. Plus, there are a few particularly nice songs including the amusing "Link by Link", the lovely "A Place Called Home", and the heartwarming "Christmas Together."

We highly recommend this show even for those who don't think another production of A Christmas Carol is necessary. Those who are big fans of the story or Christmas-themed stories on stage generally will particularly enjoy it.

And that's our view. For more information about A Christmas Carol TheMusical or to purchase tickets, visit www.centenarystageco.org

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits:

All A Christmas Carol the Musical production photos supplied by Centenary Stage Company

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image,  contact us here, and we will look into the matter.