By Mikaela STONE

To celebrate the Christmas season, Glendale’s local community theater scene offers two very different adaptations of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” 

At Highlands Church in La Crescenta, ticket purchasers will enjoy the traditional performance of “A Christmas Carol,” adapted and directed by community theater advocate Carter Thomas, while at the Nocturne Theater “Madame Scrooge” is featured for a second year. 

For a fourth year Stuart James Galbraith brings to life the Highlands’ depiction of Ebenezer Scrooge. He likens Scrooge to a set of Russian nesting dolls that the ghosts must unbox one at a time. Not content to rely on the muscle memory of the play, Galbraith reads the book each year, saying “Dickens never fails” to entice him. Galbraith credits his portrayal of Scrooge to Carter Thomas.

“If I am the instrument, he is the conductor,” said Galbraith of Thomas. 

Just as dedicated to Dickens’ text, Thomas looks for new ways to impart the story’s morals each year, always seeking to outdo last year’s performance. As a result, Galbraith’s Scrooge is, at its kernel, a blunt but deeply insecure man reaching for the illusion of safety that money provides. 

Melissa Meyer and Justin Meyer of Nocturne Theater and Meyer2Meyer Productions take far more creative liberties with “Madame Scrooge,” writing original songs for their genderbent Eleanor Scrooge. 

At first glance, one might consider such an adaptation dubious: Scrooge functions as a caricature of the type of man that sent Charles Dickens’ father to debtors’ prison when Dickens was only 12 years old. Historically, the position of an unscrupulous mustache-twirling investment banker has featured a glass ceiling difficult for women to break through. However, with Stephanie Hodgdon playing Scrooge, the character comes to life in all her ruffled glory as she suffers the indignity of being wished a Merry Christmas. The play does not take itself seriously, poking fun at Scrooge’s seeming determination to stay miserable. However, like many other adaptations of Scrooge, Eleanor Scrooge’s cruelty stems from her insecurity. Hodgdon’s interpretation focuses this insecurity on Scrooge’s relationships as Scrooge rejects others before they have a chance to reject her. 

The largest difference between the Highlands Church and Nocturne adaptations is the tone. While it is an uplifting story, “Madame Scrooge” features frightening elements in a seemingly illustrated setting. Scrooge lives in a town populated by gregarious, outlandish citizens wearing strange masks – a nod to the Meyers’ favorite “A Christmas Carol” version, “A Muppet Christmas Carol.” Truly ghosts and not merely spirits, the beautifully costumed Christmas ghosts in this production do not let the audience forget they are there to haunt Scrooge. The Ghost of Christmas Past chooses to announce herself via a red rubber ball rolling with ominous intent onto the stage. The Ghost of Christmas Present’s segment ends with her and Dickens’ metaphorical orphans, Want and Ignorance, leaping upon Scrooge. This allows for shining creative moments, such as a ghostly ensemble dancing with their chains to Marley’s song in a startling, percussive number that may frighten children under 5. 

The Highlands Church “A Christmas Carol” is more straightforward in the emotions it conveys, using well-known Christmas carols to set the scene. “Joy to the World” becomes the theme of the Ghost of Christmas Present when she shows Scrooge what he is missing. She brings the message, “Change only happens in the present,” a reminder not just for Christmas but for all year. By contrast, “In The Bleak Midwinter” heralds a potential future without Tiny Tim where a heartbroken Cratchit begins to emulate Scrooge. 

“Madame Scrooge” uses the tune “In the Bleak Midwinter” at its beginning as Scrooge mourns her business partner Marley. The musical then turns to original scores, the most memorable is “Life Isn’t Fair,” Scrooge’s bitter anthem. The song features a slow angry build where Hodgdon again astounds with the sheer power of her voice. 

In rewrites of “Madame Scrooge” Justin Meyer and Melissa Meyer not only extended Scrooge’s reunion with her nephew but offered a nod to her newfound position as caretaker to Tiny Tim and friend to Bob Cratchit as they represent the family she chooses. Found family is at the heart of the Nocturne Theatre’s performance by gathering audience members who are thrilled by spooky reimaginings of beloved stories, find beauty in the horrific and collect the overlooked and misunderstood. The Nocturne Theater uplifts these values with its roster of upcoming shows such as “Shrek: The Musical” and “Dracula,” adapted from the Bram Stoker novel, which both feature found family. 

For Carter Thomas, “the themes of human kindness, community and opening yourself to brotherly love are timeless.” Thomas and many members of the Highlands Church cast have devoted themselves to the messages of “A Christmas Carol” known for decades. In a fresh interpretation of the book’s end, Thomas takes care to add the narration “Even in the stillness of the night, Scrooge smiled” to show that Scrooge has found the precious realization that he is happy with who he is at present – an equally important takeaway. 

Tickets for the Highlands Church production of “A Christmas Carol” can be purchased at https://www.simpletix.com/e/a-christmas-carol-tickets-165649 or at the door. The show will run through Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on the Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m.  Highlands Church is located at 4441 La Crescenta Ave. in La Crescenta. 

Tickets for “Madame Scrooge” can be purchased at https://thenocturnetheatre.com. The show runs through Dec. 23 with 7:30 time slots and 2 p.m. matinee performances on certain Saturdays or Sundays. The Nocturne Theater is located at 324 N. Orange St. in Glendale. 

For children ages 4-9, the Nocturne Theater offers Reindeer Games, which includes a meeting with Santa, and holiday activities on select dates through Dec. 23.