In Tandem Theater, FB
A sparkling song-and-dance parody of Charles Dickens’ classic, In Tandem Theatre’s A Twisted Carol is sure to please this holiday season. With book and lyrics by Mondy Carter, the piece features Monty Python-esque humor—bombs made from pineapples, coffee-to-the-face, pre-historic Scrooges smashing “humbugs” with clubs—with a dash of philosophical probing. As director Jane Fieller notes, this telling shows us the familiar stock characters “search for what they want under the guise of helping others.” It takes Scrooge (the irrepressible Chris Flieller) very little effort to ferret out the selfish motives of three out of his four spirit visitors to great comedic effect. Scrooge and Marley’s (Joe Fransee) “The Good Times” gets that ball rolling with a Vaudevillian foray into the fun—nay, necessity—of cheating and pranking others.
Wearing sumptuous costumes by Kathy Smith on Rick Rasmussen’s lushly painted set, an ensemble of musical theater veterans brings the production to life. As Scrooge’s ex-fiancée, Belle, Samantha Sostarich shows off a powerful soprano, while Teddy Warren furnishes perfect, overblown gallantry as Freddy and young Scrooge. Debra Babich is tremendously versatile as a comic actress, her characters ranging from a drunken Christmas Present to a lecherous Mr. Fezziwig. Fransee puts in some of his best work with the brilliant Jocelyn Ridgely—the two portray the deliciously insufferable orphans Ignorance and Want, replete with booger picking and a song called “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.” Nathan Wesselowski (who also composed the romping score) rounds out the ensemble as the straight-man Cratchit who manipulates an adorable Tiny Tim puppet suspiciously resembling a beloved “Sesame Street” character.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
If there is a weakness in the plot it is that the traditional Christmas Carol ending feels a bit forced. With characters this saucy and self-serving, it might have worked better not to go for a neat dénouement of redemption and generosity. Nevertheless, the point is clear. It’s all for laughs, and there are many to be had. Bonus point: You’ll leave contemplating all the possible meanings of the adult holiday party game “grease the weasel.”
The show runs through Jan. 3, 2016 at the Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St. For tickets, call 414-271-1371 or visit intandemtheatre.org.
