Changing leaves, crisp mornings, and Christmas music on the radio all mark the holiday season’s approach. For theater lovers on the Central Coast, the Great American Melodrama‘s annual Holiday Extravaganza is another holiday harbinger.
Playing until Dec. 31, the show starts with the theater company’s annual take on A Christmas Carol, and it does the tale justice.
Holiday lovers should all know the classic tale of cranky old Ebenezer Scrooge. But with so many Christmas classics out there, it can be easy to mix them up. Originally a Charles Dickens novel published in London, England, in 1843, the story weaves a tale about Scrooge, a filthy rich, miserable old man who hates all things Christmas.
My sisters and I have watched A Christmas Carol in theaters since we were young. Over the years, I’ve noticed how hard it can be to find someone who can play Scrooge as well as it’s written in the book because most stage actors aren’t old, rich, or hateful. The Melodrama struck gold with Billy Breed, who’s played Scrooge every year for as long as anyone can remember.
Not that he’s hateful or old—he’s just a Melodrama veteran.
Breed has appeared in countless productions on Central Coast stages including the Melodrama, the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre, and the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA). He’s also had the privilege and skill to tour theaters throughout Europe and in New York, as noted in the Melodrama’s playbill.
His dedication to accurately portraying Scrooge pays off, as it’s hard to take your eyes off him during the play.
One of the Melodrama’s more serious shows, A Christmas Carol opens inside the workplace of Scrooge and Jacob Marley on Christmas Eve. Scrooge’s employee Bob Cratchit (Brett Mollard) is counting down the minutes until he’s off the clock and able to celebrate Christmas Day with his family, the only day he has off.
Mollard, a PCPA graduate who most recently was cast in the Werewolf of Arroyo Grande, is another Melodrama veteran.
Although Cratchit is dealing with his own issues, such lacking the funds to provide medical care to his son, Tiny Tim, who’s close to death, Cratchit tends to have a positive personality—even while working for the crotchety Scrooge.
Mollard easily flips through a vast range of emotions throughout the play, such as when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge the Cratchit family at Tiny Tim’s funeral. Mollard’s sadness penetrates.
While the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come doesn’t utter a word, Natalie Mara, who plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, does a wonderful job bringing the audience back to childhood—one that you expect to be a sad but is surprisingly filled with love and joy.
Here we see a young Scrooge, played by Mike Fiore, surrounded by friends at a Christmas Eve party where he meets the love of his life. Unfortunately, it only took a few short years for his lust for money to take over and for Belle, played by newcomer Gabrielle Francine Smith, to walk away.
Smith hails from New York City, and the Holiday Extravaganza is her first show at the Melodrama. She’s previously been in productions around the country, including playing Jo in The Legend of Georgia McBride at the Kansas Repertory Theatre.
Usually, a Melodrama production consists of one long show followed by a Vaudeville Revue, however the extravaganza switched it up. While A Christmas Carol takes up the first hour of the show, it’s followed by Fairytale Operetta, Brad Carroll’s take on Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
In this version, Sleeping Beauty’s (better known as Princess Aurora) father, King Stefan, is a little bit of a silly man. With the help of three fairies, he embarks on a journey to save his daughter who was cursed by the evil witch Maleficent. It’s a funny reprieve after a serious show to lead everyone into the Vaudeville Revue.
Overall, the acting was fun and fabulous and, as always, the cheesy nachos, rich chocolate cake, and cold beer hit the spot. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Dec 5-15, 2024.