Put Atlantic Stage on Your Holiday Shopping List

This year, Atlantic Stage’s adaptation of Dickens’ classic, The Christmas Carol is by Christopher Sharia , a show that places the play within a “frame” of the night routine of weaning a young child from a computer’s blue screen to an actual book.

The show, as Lighting Designer and Artistic Director Thom Penn reminds us in the introduction is about transformation—a theme particularly relevant to Atlantic Stage in this year when it has moved from its old home on 79th Street to a retail space. Penn noted the difficulties of transforming a retail space into theatre (mostly with lighting). The intimate theatre space succeeds beyond expectations. Using a square, with audiences on two sides in a wedge, they have created an open seating venue where all sight lines are good!

In addition, the sound board operator is perfectly attuned to the needs of the cast and the offstage elements of the play are seamlessly woven into the limited space.

Director Mindi Penn has once again given her cast a perfect choreography of spatial and vocal movements to keep the scenic changes on track during this full-on, no intermission performance. Steve Harley is a wonderful centerpiece as the central character, Scrooge.

Repertory acting requires many transformations within the play and each of the actors in this cast succeeds brilliantly. Meredith Gratton and Shana Meyerand, are very clever at differentiating the accents of two of their roles—the gentlewomen seeking charitable contributions and the awful grave robbers. Young Jackson Penn, played the boy, Tiny Tim and others on the night we attended. (He alternates with Mia Yancy, another young veteral of Atlantic Stage shows). Penn showed tremendous stage presence and a professional level of timing in interacting with his fellow cast members.

Don’t miss this show. It’s easy to make A Christmas Carol a part of this year’s holiday experience for your family and guests. The Atlantic Stage is now in Myrtle Beach Mall Myrtle Beach Mall (formerly Briarcliffe/Colonial Mall) between Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works. 10177 N. Kings Hwy, MB. to reach from the Food Court or Islamorada if you want to do a dinner before the 7:30 show time. In fact, you can easily combine shopping, dining and a holiday theatre experience in one night.

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Put Atlantic Stage on Your Holiday Shopping List."