A (different kind of) Christmas Carol

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

There is perhaps no other Christmas story more impactful than Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol. The original work gave us timeless characters like Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, and showed us that even the hardest of hearts are still capable of embracing the magic of Christmas.

Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theatre will present the Christmas classic with five performances of A Christmas Carol, starting with opening night on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m., followed by two shows Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 and 7 p.m., and two shows Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 and 6 p.m. at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.). Tickets are $25 and are available at lporep.com.

The local theater company is known for its enthusiastic productions of Young Frankenstein, Murder on the Orient Express and, most recently, Steel Magnolias, and is basing the Carol performance on the adaptation by Peter DeLaurier.

Courtesy photo.

“It’s a dramatic play, but we’re treating it like a musical,” said director Tim Bangle.

Instead of setting the piece in Victorian England, Bangle decided to relocate the story to the 1970s, with the “past” sequences taking place in the 1920s-’50s and the “future” sequence set in the year 2000.

“I wanted to make it more relatable to younger audiences,” Bangle told the Reader. “Setting it as written back in the 1800s seems far detached from where we’re at, even though the themes from the play relate. … It’s the same as Shakespeare — you can plug into any time period and it still relates.”

The ensemble cast features a collection of local actors who audiences will recognize from their past work. Cory Repass will take on the role of Scrooge, while Angel Rodgers plays the ghost of Christmas present, Kate Hill as the past, Michael Bigley as Marley and about 30 others playing various roles to fill out the production. 

Bangle will take the helm as director and handle sound, departing from his usual film medium after directing the Fade films with local actors. Keely Gray will produce the show and Val Moore will take on props and build puppets. Suzann McLamb and Laurie Buck will serve as choreographers for the three major dancers peppered throughout the show.

A Christmas Carol will be the first LPO Rep performance incorporating the new LED lighting kit purchased through donations received at their local fundraisers.

“A huge shout-out goes to the community members who helped facilitate that, especially Nikki Luttmann,” Bangle said. “We raised $1,500 from intermission fundraisers and pass-the-hat fundraising, now we own this lighting package.”

The production, which features a cast made up of about 50% kids, has been in rehearsal since August because of the dancing component, and Bangle is very excited to see it all come together.

“It comes down to the magic of it all,” he said. “We’ve really tried to focus on the spiritual and magical elements within the show while shuttling Scrooge from point A to point B, as well as how to magically introduce the Christmas Spirit. We’re going to incorporate the fly-space — flying things in and out. That’s our first time doing that with LPO Rep, and the first time anyone has seen that in a really long time at the Panida.”

Asked why this play still appeals to such a wide audience, Bangle said, “We’re all Scrooge in a way. We all have that. It’s a good reminder that we could all do better, to be grateful and not look down on people around us based on what we see or think we see.”