{"id":115,"date":"2015-12-11T13:13:38","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T18:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=115"},"modified":"2015-12-11T13:13:38","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T18:13:38","slug":"christmas-carole-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/first-coast\/christmas-carole-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Carole review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alhambra\u2019s Christmas Carole is as tasty as Fezziwig\u2019s figgy pudding\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Mark Pettus<\/p>\n

Christmas is perhaps the only time of year when seeing a show for the 10th time (or even the 50th \u2013 God bless Charlie Brown) is actually something to look forward to.<\/p>\n

But whether you attend every year or have never seen the Alhambra Dinner Theatre\u2019s annual production of Bruce Allen Scudder\u2019s \u201cChristmas Carole,\u201d you should be looking forward to one of this year\u2019s shows.<\/p>\n

Written for the Alhambra stage, this adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic is always a treat, but this year it\u2019s a treat with whipped cream, nuts and cherries on top. Gary Marachek\u2019s Scrooge is as despicable an old miser as ever pinched a penny, and his transformation to pitiable coward and then buoyant benefactor marks Marachek as one of the finest Scrooges to ever take the stage.<\/p>\n

He is paired with the perfectly-cast Kenneth Uibel, who plays the four ghostly apparitions that haunt Scrooge\u2019s Christmas Eve: Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Uibel\u2019s tall, lanky frame, coupled with the Alhambra\u2019s award-worthy wardrobe, makes him believable as all four, and his nuanced performance makes him delightful in each role.<\/p>\n

Joseph Parra\u2019s Fezziwig is jovial enough to make you want to push Scrooge aside and join the party, and Matthew Jay Campbell\u2019s nephew Fred is both kind and strong and lends gravitas as the narrator\/chorus as scenes shift.<\/p>\n

Bob Cratchit is played by Griffeth Whitehurst. Whitehurst\u2019s earnest everyman quality shone through in his last performance as Billy Crocker in \u201cAnything Goes\u201d and he sparkles as Tiny Tim\u2019s father.<\/p>\n

Tiny Tim and Sarah are well-played by siblings Harrison and Abby Davey. Douglas Anderson musical theater student Taylor Halsema is becoming an Alhambra regular and plays Annie. The golden-voiced Linzy Lauren plays Dorothy Cratchit. Remember her name; you\u2019ll probably see a lot of it in the future.<\/p>\n

The show is tasty, but the Alhambra’s middle name is \u201cDinner,\u201d and while the menu doesn\u2019t offer figgy pudding, it features a feast fit for any palate.<\/p>\n

The Holiday Feast of carved turkey, honey baked ham with sweet potatoes souffl\u00e9 cornbread dressing and green beans was the most popular item on opening night. A gluten-free option is available for every course (the Seared Arctic Char topped with leeks and fresh crab, asparagus and citrus salad was delicious) and there\u2019s even a vegetarian option: Portobello mushroom and vegetable stack with butter bean ragu and red pepper pesto.<\/p>\n

Cr\u00e8me Brulee French toast or flourless chocolate cake with peppermint caramel sauce (gluten-free) \u00a0lead the dessert course, which also includes fresh fruit, chocolate mousse or sorbet.<\/p>\n

Alhambra\u2019s Christmas Carole runs through Christmas Eve, but performances often sell out early. Visit www.alhambrajax.com<\/a> to reserve tickets.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo provided by Alhambra Dinner Theatre. Kenneth Uibel as Jacob Marley and Gary Marachek as Scrooge in the Alhambra Dinner Theatre’s production of “Christmas Carole.”<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alhambra\u2019s Christmas Carole is as tasty as Fezziwig\u2019s figgy pudding\u00a0\u00a0 By Mark Pettus Christmas is perhaps the only time of year when seeing a show for the 10th time (or even the 50th \u2013 God bless Charlie Brown) is actually something to look forward to. But whether you attend every year or have never seen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[21,22,20],"class_list":{"0":"post-115","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-first-coast","8":"tag-alhambra","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-review"},"yoast_head":"\nChristmas Carole review - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NewsLineAlhambra\u2019s Christmas Carole is as tasty as Fezziwig\u2019s figgy pudding\u00a0\u00a0 By Mark Pettus Christmas is perhaps the only time of year when seeing a show for the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/first-coast\/christmas-carole-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christmas Carole review - 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