The ever popular holiday tale returns in a one-man theatrical adaptation.
Charles Dickens' magical A Christmas Carol has been delighting readers for almost two hundred years. The tale of a seemingly incorrigible misanthrope being redeemed by a variety of ghostly visitors one Christmas Eve seems always relevant and moving. The novella has also, of course, inspired many stage and film adaptations.
Guy Masterson is appearing in the New York premiere of Nick Hennegan's solo actor version of A Christmas Carol. Hennegan also directs the production which has a preview performance on December 20 and performs through December 30 at the Soho Playhouse in Manhattan (15 Vandam St.).
Masterson portrays the menagerie of iconic characters in A Christmas Carol, including Ebeneezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, the Cratchits and Tiny Tim. Masterson is an Olivier Award recipient and a multi-award winning producer/director active both in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. His many directing credits include the recent Broadway hit The Shark Is Broken. He is related to Marcello Mastroianni and is the nephew of legendary British actor Richard Burton, and is also a cousin of acclaimed actress Kate Burton.
I posed some questions to Guy Masterson about A Christmas Carol.
QUESTION: What was the impetus for this production of A Christmas Carol? How is this production different from other adaptations of A Christmas Carol?
GUY MASTERSON: I had somehow ignored ALL versions of A Christmas Carol for 56 years until I was asked to step in to read this adaptation in a beautiful candlelit event at the glorious Fitzrovia Chapel in London in 2016. I was bowled over by the story and the way it was received. I had been a “physical performance storyteller” since 1993 specializing in epic solo works of literary masterpieces such as Under Milk Wood and Animal Farm... A Christmas Carol immediately struck me as perfect for my next one. I was particularly struck by the political and psychological edge to Dickens’ prose which suits my taste. I want my work to have meaning beyond entertainment and this story ticked all those boxes as well as being a terrific and popular ghost story.
My version is different to most (if not all) others because it is entirely stripped down, not presented in Victoriana, very accurate to Dickens’ original performance text and performed powerfully and viscerally with no frills. I literally inhabit every character in the story.
Q: Why do you think that the story of A Christmas Carol remains so popular?
MASTERSON: It is a perfect story. Dickens was a master of structure and this is a perfect example. His characters are vibrant and memorable and his mastery of psychological tension and drama is supreme. It works in all forms... and, even though it is a social story, not strictly a Christmas story, it is set at Christmas – which adds a magical festiveness about it. I have performed it in August in Edinburgh and proved that it works perfectly well out of season! It’s also on the English Literature syllabus, so every student is familiar with it. This creates a fondness which many carry through life. I have people telling me they see it in one form or another every year.
Q: Are there any particular demands or challenges in playing multiple characters in a solo actor production?
MASTERSON: There are the obligations of being accurate to the text and being fit enough to perform it... But ultimately, you have to deliver what people are expecting and for one person that is a tall order... but having performed over 5,000 times solo over 31 years, it’s just part of what I do now. Though the physical side does get harder as you hit your sixties!
Q. Are there any memories of your relatives Richard Burton and Marcello Mastroianni that you would like to share with us?
MASTERSON: I never met Marcello Mastroianni, though I’d love to have done so. I remember he was in LA for the Oscar Ceremony in 1988 (I think) and I nearly connected with him. He had worked twice with Uncle Richard – to whom I was close – so I’m sure he would have met with me. They established that Marcello and my father – who died in 1971 – were 3rd cousins.
I knew Richard all my life, but became close to him in 1981 when I drove him to his home near Geneva from London in a Mini Cooper S which he had bought for himself but found he could not drive. We spent 5 weeks in each other’s company... and I learned things about him that even my cousin Kate – his daughter – did not know. It was his love of literature which engendered mine and led me to become an actor after he died suddenly in 1984. There is rarely a day goes by without my thinking of him.
Q. Is there anything in general you would like to tell to audiences about this production of A Christmas Carol?
MASTERSON: My version is visceral and surprising... My Scrooge especially. The text is delivered exactly as Dickens’ original, but the style of performance and multi-characterization is unexpected... but it will draw them into a contract of imagination. It gets inside the head and works its magic. I have had people tell me that it is a hypnotic performance... I don’t know about that, but clearly some theatrical magic is at work. One lady, who I quote now on my publicity (with her permission) wrote – “I don’t quite know what happened... but this is the best version of Christmas Carol I have ever seen, and I’ve seen hundreds!”
Q. Would you like to share with us what your next projects are?
MASTERSON: I will be reprising my 29 year old solo performance of ANIMAL FARM after 10 years at the glorious Wilton’s Music Hall, an Off West End theatre in London in January. It is the oldest working music hall in the world... and I am producing & directing THE MARILYN CONSPIRACY – a new 8 actor play about the last 4 days of Marilyn Monroe’s life at the Park Theatre (Off West End) in London in July.
-Interview conducted by Paul Hansen
Information regarding tickets for 'A Christmas Carol' may be found here: