End of an Era at the KC Rep

 

by Pa Rock

Theatre Aficionado

Yesterday afternoon the Kansas Macy's and Pa Rock enjoyed our holiday tradition of attending a stage production of "A Christmas Carol" at the KC Rep Theatre on the campus of the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC).    We have been attending for a decade, and I leave the theatre each December saying the most recent production was the best one yet - and this year was certainly no exception.  It was indeed the best one yet.

The KC Rep has produced "A Christmas Carol" for the past forty-four years, so attending is a tradition for many families in this area.  It usually runs nightly along with afternoon performances on the weekends from mid November through just before Christmas.  Some families have been attending across three generations.  

This year is witnessing the end of an era because the very fine actor who plays Ebenezer Scroogs - Gary Neal Johnson - is in his final season of playing the lead.  Mr. Johnson has been a member of the cast for all of the forty-four years that the play has been performed, and he has played Scrooge for the past twenty-five seasons.  Many members of the large cast have also been sa part of the production for multiple years, and for those who are regulars in the audience, going to the annual performances feels like reconnecting with old friends.

This complex production is something that should not be missed, especially for avid fans of live theatre and the work of Charles Dickens.   A revolving stage allows the characters and carolers to move steadily across the stage, and they occasionally roam into the audience.  The effect is that the people watching get a heightened sense that they are part of foggy Victorian London.  The production is very much a total theatre experience.

I'm sure we will do it again next year and meet the new Scrooge!

Happy holidays!