Q&A; -- Ghost of ‘Christmas Carol’ haunts again

It amazes director John-David Keller to come across people who do not

know about “A Christmas Carol.” The play, which opened for previews

Saturday at South Coast Repertory, is in its 22nd year of being put on by

the Costa Mesa theater company. And for every year it’s been performed,

Keller has directed it.

“This is probably the best Christmas story there is,” he said. “It has

everything.”

The Charles Dickens tale of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and the three

spirits who show him the error of his ways (especially in his treatment

of employee Bob Cratchit) has been translated over and over again into

film, theater, books, etc.

Keller took time out Nov. 13 to speak with Features Editor Jennifer K

Mahal about what makes the tradition endure at SCR year after year.

When did you start rehearsals?

The Christmas season for us, I think, starts about three days after

the department stores. We started with the children on November the

third. And it’s good to have them by themselves because there’s always

new people in the cast, and I always say to them “It’s like jumping on to

a fast moving train and we’ve already left the station.”

And it’s true, because there’s so many people in the show who have

done the show before and who come back and ... you know, it’s sort of

like falling off a log or riding a bicycle. I mean, once they get on

their feet and they’re in the midst of what’s going on, I think a reflex

reaction takes over, and they’re sort of in it and everyone else is kind

of playing catch-up. It’s a short rehearsal process.

For the children, it’s a little bit longer, but then they’re all new.

And we’ve discovered over the years that the kids learn best by just

repeating it. For example, now we’re at the point in some of the Cratchit

rehearsals where they know their lines and they know what they’re

supposed to be when, but I’m trying to get them to have more fun while

they’re doing it. So, the having fun part is something that -- kids have

fun naturally, but when you tell them to have fun, they sort of close

down.

How has ‘A Christmas Carol’ changed in the 22 years you have been

doing this?

It’s changed and it hasn’t changed. I mean, the story is always the

same. Fortunately the Scrooge has always been the same, and fortunately

it’s always been the same design team working on it -- the same person

does the costumes, the same person does the sets, comes in and looks at

them. This is the only show that SCR saves from year to year. The props,

the costumes, the sets are all put away and packed up and put in storage

for a year.

I always think of it as having the same sort of spirit as when we’re

at home and right after Thanksgiving we start getting out the Christmas

boxes, and that’s what it is. I mean, if you look around this room,

nothing is in any sort of order. But I can tell you that everything that

you see on the stage is in this room -- except for the set -- and it’s

amazing. These are all the props, all the real props, and the big set

pieces and all that, they’re all sitting here. It’s like being among a

lot of old friends.

What draws you back to doing this every year?

Well I think A) it’s my responsibility to do it. I mean as long as I’m

part of the company, it’s been my assignment and my pleasure for 22

years. Every now and then, you know, I feel like “Oh, my God. We have to

do it again.” But by the time I get there, I’m filled with the spirit. I

am sort of the spirit of Christmas anyways, so.... (He laughs) People

have accused me of that.

There was one year where, literally, I don’t know if there was any

other event going on in Orange County that had to do with Christmas. At

one point I was directing “Christmas Carol” here, I was running the

display where the children have their photographs taken with Santa Claus

at South Coast Plaza, and then I was asked to emcee the tree lighting

ceremony. It sort of all comes at the same time.

What’s your favorite part of doing this? Favorite part of the play?

Well, I don’t know that I have a favorite part. I’m sure that my

favorite part of the play is watching the audience watch the play,

especially if they’ve never seen it before.

I think my favorite part of doing it really involves the children in

the show because.... I tell them at the very beginning that it’s going to

be a Christmas that they’ll never forget. And it’s true. We get kids

coming back who have done it in years past, and they just walk into the

room and they just smile. It brings back a lot of wonderful, sort of fond

and funny memories.

What’s the biggest challenge in doing this every year?

Making it new. Making it new every year. As actors, we know what our

job is -- to tell the story, to make it fresh for an audience that’s

never seen it. And in a sense that’s the biggest challenge. How do you do

that after you’ve been doing it for 22 years? And that is the challenge.

We just have to erase everything we remember and try to start all over

again.

What lessons do you think people can take with them when they walk

away from watching “Christmas Carol”?

Well, this year there’ll be a bigger lesson than there has been in

last year’s, I think. The sense of doing something with your family that

is not only enjoyable but will be part of what will hopefully be part of

a tradition.

I think over 60% of the people who’ve seen this show have seen it

before at this theater. And then there are those people who have never

seen it and they’re just awed by it. It’s a beautiful production.

I think people are looking for things, this year more than ever, about

being with family and how important it is. And not taking it for granted,

and this is a wonderful beginning.

Do you have any anecdotes from the years of doing this play?

Which ones do you want?

Well, each character probably has some that are just very, very, very

funny. Hal’s, of course, (Hal Landon, Jr., who plays Scrooge) you know

he’s on stage all the time, so he sees a lot more than the rest of us

see.

My favorite thing that happened during a rehearsal just the other day

was, we have a wonderful actor by the name of Tim Landfield playing the

Ghost of Christmas Present. The adults were called for the first time

last Friday (Nov. 9). Tim was in the other room having a costume fitting

and we were rehearsing some scene. Suddenly the door burst open, and Tim

walked in the room in full costume and makeup and just went around the

room to everybody and wished them all a very merry Christmas and then

left. So there’s that to add to it.

We got into rehearsing the office scene, and Martha, who plays one of

the solicitors in the show -- Martha McFarland her name is -- has done

this show for years and years and years and years. And during a

performance last year, Martha just went blank. And in the scene, we’re

soliciting a contribution from Mr. Scrooge, which we of course don’t get.

But Martha has a lot of words, where she’s talking about the poor and how

important it is and the needy have to be taken care of, and she just goes

on about this. And she went dry.

I don’t think she would have remembered her name, and all that came

out were three words. And she was pulling on Mr. Scrooge’s coat by saying

“Want. Need. Help.” And, we, all of us were onstage, we couldn’t look at

her because ... and Hal just turned upstage and Bob Cratchit, who’s

sitting at his desk, was just, was openly laughing. And, I mean, poor

Martha. There was nothing we could do to help her. Well, we could have,

but we didn’t want to.

So we were reminded of that. We were reminded when we got into the

first Cratchit scene last year, that Mrs. Cratchit, who is in person, as

well as onstage, the most quiet-natured, almost spiritual person. And

there was a chair missing from the set, and the chairs are very important

in the Cratchit scene. And she went running off the stage, and she just

couldn’t find the chair. And this spew of invectives came out of her

mouth that were, like, “Oooh, from Mrs. Cratchit!”

I think every scene brings up something about children losing their

petticoats onstage and missing entrances and it all happens. I don’t

think our anecdotes are any more unusual than any other production that’s

been running for 22 years. But they’re all pretty wonderful.

I think one of my favorite things that happens now during “Christmas

Carol” is, if you think about how long we’ve been doing the show, now we

have children who were in the show maybe 20 to 22 years ago, maybe 15

years ago, and now they are bringing their children to see us. And I

haven’t aged a day, but somehow they’ve gotten a lot older.

Do you guys have any ceremonies for opening or closing day?

No. We don’t. In fact some times we are confused as to when we

actually open because we actually have our first audience, which is a

kind of opening, but it’s not because it’s a preview. And then we can go

on for about -- well this year the Saturday after Thanksgiving we will

have an afternoon run through for the company of South Coast Repertory.

And the word gets out on that one, so it’s a pretty big audience. And

that night we have our first preview, it’s a paid audience. And my guess

is that we open the following Thursday, but I don’t know.

Our traditions happen in the middle of the run. Because we share the

space with “La Posada Magica,” which is on the Second Stage, we try to do

things together. On one of the Saturdays towards the end of the run of

both of us, between shows, both casts have this huge potluck dinner on

stage, and it’s also known as “Tech Follies,” in which the members of the

tech crew do scenes from “Christmas Carol” -- their own version. And I

look forward to that more than anything else.

o7 For dates, times and ticket information for “A Christmas Carol,”

call (714) 708-5555.f7 BIO

Name: John-David Keller

Age: 63

Residence: Irvine

Job: Resident director and actor at South Coast Repertory, which he’s

been with for 28 years. Is directing “A Christmas Carol” for SCR for the

22nd year.

Upcoming: Will direct the new educational touring show, “Power Play,”

for SCR.

Miscellaneous: Likes to cook. Is master of ceremonies of fifth-grade

concert series for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County