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'Mother Goose' a new take on 'Carol'
Adaptation still maintains messsage about meaning of the holiday season
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is a universal enough story to lend itself to many different versions.
The Magic Theater's latest production is another retelling of the classic story — this one merging Dickens with Mother Goose.
"A Mother Goose Christmas Carol" begins today and runs to Dec. 19.
"'A Christmas Carol' can be done so many different ways, with so many different characters," said John Trent, the writer and director of "Mother Goose." "This is another way of telling the story."
"A Christmas Carol" is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who hates Christmas until three ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve and show him the true meaning of the holiday spirit.
"A Mother Goose Christmas Carol" is about Mother Goose (played by Betsy Johnson) simply not enjoying Christmas anymore. To change her mind about the holiday and what it means, characters from her most famous stories try to get her back into the Christmas spirit.
These characters include Little Boy Blue (Kevin Heller), Jack and Jill (Justin Barkley-Brinson and Darien Torrison, respectively), Simple Simon (Joshua Splinter), Granny Goose (Courtney Williams), Little Miss Muffet (Brady Mallory) and Old King Cole (Dan Salamone).
"They're all characters (from the Mother Goose stories) people are familiar with," Trent said.
Rounding out the cast of "A Mother Goose Christmas Carol" are Holly Trent, Amelia Condrey and Feliciana Barkely-Brinson as mice.
"This is a good way of getting into the Christmas spirit," Trent said. "With the way the economy is going, people need a way to escape, and not worry about the world. And this is a fun way to escape."
"A Mother Goose Christmas Carol"
Times: 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays; runs to Dec. 19
Where: The Magic Theater, 815 B St., Yuba City
Tickets: $5. Call 751-1100 or go online at actingcompany.org.
