NEW CASTLE PLAYHOUSE Production makes Dickens' 'Christmas Carol' hilarious

In 'Inspecting Carol,' a hapless company struggles to get its act together.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Most people don't think of Dickens' "Christmas Carol" as being funny, but put it in the hands of the incompetent Soapbox Theatre Company, and you can expect rolling-on-the-floor hysterics. New Castle Playhouse is presenting this comedy, "Inspecting Carol," as its holiday offering.
It is about a two-bit theater that relies on a yearly production of "A Christmas Carol" as its only moneymaker of the season. Other than that, its funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts. This year, however, the company finds that it has lost 2,000 of its 4,000 subscribers, and it is totally broke. And to make matters worse, the NEA has threatened to cut off its funding. It is four days before opening night, and for some reason, the company can't even get going on rehearsals.
Quirky characters
When a strange man, Wayne Wellacre (Alan McCreary), shows up wanting to audition, the company thinks he is the inspector from the NEA, undercover to observe them and make final recommendations about a grant. In truth, he is a data processor, feeling unfulfilled in the technical world, and has decided to "follow his bliss," auditioning at 53 theaters in 25 days. The problem is, he is a really crummy actor and is flattered when the company welcomes him.
Not that any of these actors are all that great. They all have irritating little quirks. Dorothy Tree-Hapgood (Ann Peay) is a Brit who thinks she is the only one who can correctly speak the language of Dickens. However, since no one else speaks with a British accent, she struggles to sound "American," with very comic results. She also leads the group in warm-ups, which includes instructing cast members to squeeze an imaginary lemon between their buttocks.
Zorah Bloch (Tina Cole) is the one who is most passionate about keeping Soapbox Theatre alive and will do whatever she needs to do to get what she wants, even if it includes offering sexual favors to Wellacre. Her excuse for her emotional outbursts is that she's Lithuanian. Her late husband, who played the ghosts who appear to Scrooge, hung himself last year after a bad review. He had a particular odor about him, which seems to have clung to the costumes.
The only character who is anything near normal is Walter E. Parsons (Joshua Stewart), the cast's "token black," hired after last year's NEA inspector insisted on "multicultural initiatives." All he wants to do is learn his lines and rehearse his part. However, he never really knows what his lines are because his script keeps changing, and they never actually do get around to rehearsing.
Humorous highlights
The one character who absolutely steals the show is Larry Vauxhall (Ken Cole), who always plays the part of Scrooge. Zorah fired him last year because he spoke all his lines in Spanish as a protest to American involvement in Central America, but he was rehired this year because absolutely no one else wanted the part. He takes the opportunity to team up with Wellacre, and they rewrite the script to make political statements. Things continue to spin even further out of control, and when the real NEA inspector shows up, the production is in total shambles.
The comic element in this play just keeps building the more the company attempts to get its act together. But nothing comes even close to funny compared to what happens when they finally are forced to perform on opening night. The laughter volume tripled during this scene.
This play is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone.
X"Inspecting Carol" continues weekends through Dec. 18, Fridays/Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. It takes place in the intimate Annex at NCP. For tickets, call (724) 654-3437.