The Middletown High School drama department is putting on a production of “A Christmas Carol” in the MHS auditorium on December 13-15. The production will be performed by MHS students along with younger students from Middletown Middle and Elementary.
“A Christmas Carol” is about a mean-spirited and selfish old man who hates Christmas named Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Jacob Daniels, MHS senior. One day when Scrooge gets home from work, he is visited by three ghosts that teach him valuable lessons that change him into a better person.
“It’s a hard role because you have to change from an old, cranky man from the start to a happy and joyful man at the end,” Daniels said.
The production is a classic and is only shown at MHS every four years.
Daniels said that MHS is trying to keep the traditional style of the show with the 1800s theme along with putting their own unique spin on it.
One unique thing MHS is doing this year is having the Ghost of Christmas Future being a puppet operated by four people.
The main director of the show is Susan Thornton, with Maria Duva and Desiree Denton as the assistant directors. “The show is going fantastic; I and the other directors are very excited,” said Duva.
Putting on the production comes with many challenges. Duva said that actors have to memorize lines and that the MHS theatre is really outdated so the tech crew doesn’t have the best equipment.
The cast has only has 2 rehearsals a week but they are all 4 hours long. Duva said that the cast “always makes memories in rehearsals” and it’s her favorite part.
Overall the directors and cast are working very hard on the production and are very excited to perform. The cast’s main goal is to surpass the last production of “A Christmas Carol” and they think they can achieve it. Armed with a talented cast, tech crew, and directors, they are confident that the production will be fantastic.
