T20

THEATRE

STARTWO, TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER 2008

KLPac has lined

up the perfect
holiday treat for
theatre goers with
Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol.
By SHEELA CHANDRAN
sheelac@thestar.com.my
NE of the joys you can
indulge in this festive season
is attending the staging of
Charles Dickens classic tale, A
Christmas Carol, at the Kuala Lumpur
Performing Arts Centre (KLPac).
Directed by Chris Ling, the production runs from Friday to Dec 28 and
is expected to be a perfect holiday
treat for families and loved ones.
Dickens A Christmas Carol was
published in 1843 and remains one
of the best-loved tales that captivates the imagination of children
and adults alike. Often described as
Dickens little Christmas book, the
novel was written in the time of
decline in old yuletide traditions.
The heart-warming tale is often
performed on stage all around the
world during Christmas time,
making it an all-time holiday
favourite.
Ling admits being a fan of the
famed author since his younger days
so naturally, having the privilege to
direct the classic tale comes as a
great honour. According to him, the
play would be presented according
to British author John Mortimers
adaptation because it remains faithful to Dickens original writing.
I saw this version performed by
Royal Shakespeare Company while
studying in London. It had a 25member cast and full orchestra.
What made it interesting was that
all actors were involved in the telling of the story.
Prior to seeing the production in
London, I had always enjoyed the
novel. The story itself is intriguing,
especially with ghosts that play a

Spirit of Christmas
positive part in someones life,
laughed Ling, 33, after the shows
press preview at the KLPac in Sentul,
Kuala Lumpur recently.
A Christmas Carol is a classic tale
of redemption which unveils the
true meaning of the holiday spirit. It
follows the miserly but extremely
wealthy Ebenezer Scrooge as he is
taken on a journey by three ghosts
who represent his past, present and
future.
Scrooges metamorphosis transforms him from a cold-hearted
miser, who expresses disgust for the
yuletide season (with his famous
catch phrase Bah Humbug!) to a
generous and kind-hearted soul.
One of the reasons the director
holds the book close to his heart is
because it was written based on
recurrent themes like social injustice and poverty, their causes and
effects.
When Charles Dickens wrote the
book, people didnt know how to
celebrate Christmas. The book introduced the importance of celebrating
the yuletide season as a family. The
ghosts of Christmas reveal ignorance and want which are still
prevalent in this day. In every society, you have distinct concentrations
of wealth and poverty over.
Hopefully, this play will be an eyeopener that will encourage people
to help out the needy, said Ling,
who directed Love & Beauty: The
Sonnets of William Shakespeare at
KLPac last September.
Darius Taraporvala, last seen in
The Actors Studios Sybil, takes on
the lead role of Scrooge. The
Bangalore-born actor will be backed
by an ensemble that includes six
child actors playing a whole host of
wonderful characters including the
Fezziwigs, Spirits of the Christmas
Past, Present and Future, the
Crachits and Tiny Tim. Also in the
cast are Sham Sunder Binwani, Niki

Cheong, Bella Rahim, Johann

Lim and Shahril Abdul Rani.
Scrooge is a lovely part as
he has all sorts of emotions
anger, laughter and
regret, said
Taraporvala, who
has over 35 years
experience in acting.
The play is an open sort of
a transparent format where
the audience can see
everything off and on
stage. The actors are
always in character so
it makes it more interesting. Chris ensemble
style of directing is
different as everyone is
involved in the
production. That
makes the show
interesting.
Under the guidance
of music director Nick
Choo, the production
will feature original
music set to traditional
lyrics, as well as new
arrangements of classic
carols including Silent
Night. With a mini orchestra
of six and a nine-person,
four-part choir, audiences can
expect a combination of gentle
yet haunting blend of contemporary and classical music.
A Christmas Carol will be
staged at Pentas 1, the Kuala Lumpur
Performing Arts Centre, Jalan
Strachan in Kuala Lumpur from Dec
12 to 28. Tickets are priced at RM40
and RM60; RM20 for students,
senior citizens and the disabled.
There is a weekday special RM20
flat rate for shows on Tuesdays to
Thursdays. There is also a family package RM100 for a family of four. For
more details, call 03-4047 9000 /
2094 9400.

Darius Taraporvala
takes on the iconic role
of Ebenezer Scrooge in
A Christmas Carol,
directed by Chris Ling.