(From left) are Mary Walton Petersen, Kevin Gilroy, Rachel Nelson and Sarah Zakreski. Petersen and Nelson portray the ghosts of Christmas Past; Zakreski, the ghost of Christmas Future; and Gilroy, Ebenezer Scrooge. Photo Courtesy of Emily Dillard
A holiday classic comes to life in an intimate, dinner-theater setting when the City of Fairfax Theatre Co. and Truro Anglican Church present “A Christmas Carol.”
Guided by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Ebenezer Scrooge will take a journey leading to his transformation and redemption. And a Herndon teen is among the cast members.
Show times are Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., with 6:30 p.m. dinner; Saturday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. with 6:30 p.m. dinner (limited availability); and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10, adults; $5, students, via www.fairfaxcitytheatre.org, and $15 and $10, respectively, at the door. Dinner shows are $25/ticket, either way. (A special, $20 family package is offered for the Dec. 6 show at 10 a.m.). Truro is located at 10520 Main St. in Fairfax.
The cast and crew of 30 have been rehearsing since September and the actors are ages 8-85. “What’s unique about this play is that the whole room is part of the set,” said Director Kirsten Boyd. “The actors will be performing in the aisles and onstage, so the audience will feel like they’re part of the story. We’ll have an old-fashioned lamppost in the center of the room, and the audience will sing Christmas carols with the cast throughout the show.”
Portraying Scrooge is Truro church member Kevin Gilroy. “He’s deeply flawed and figures out all his faults during the play,” said Gilroy. “He learns who he is and what he wants in life. He’s grumpy and crotchety and has a hard time connecting with people. He’s not receptive to changing until toward the end.”
Gilroy said the role’s draining because “I go through a lot of emotions, but it’s fun to process those feelings. And I’m excited to be the lead because I get to connect with everyone in the audience, all at once. People will enjoy the show because it’s about the true meaning of Christmas, the production is energetic and they’ll have fun singing Christmas carols.”
Herndon’s Meriel Carney, an eighth-grader at Rachel Carson Middle School, is one of three ghost dancers who are in nearly every scene. “We do ballet and contemporary dances, flow the scenes together and enter the stage with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future,” she said. “We dance either to a live violinist or to singing.”
She and the other dancers choreographed their routines and are having a good time performing together. “I’ve been dancing since I was 3 years old and am with Russell School of Ballet,” said Carney. “I love the way you can express anything through dance – it’s really the universal language.”
Carney said the audience will especially be able to connect with the members of the Cratchit family and understand what they’re feeling. And the play will get people ready for the holiday season.
“The show’s heartwarming,” she said. “Christmas is a time to be with family, and this play shows that, no matter what, you can change if you’re not the person you want to be. And there’s lots of Christmas spirit to get everybody ready for the holidays.”