Progressive Dinner Tour, A Christmas Carol Herald Christmas in Cape Charles

By WAYNE CREED

December 22, 2014

Living in Cape Charles is always great no matter the season, whether spring, summer, fall or winter. But Christmas time in Cape Charles is always a special time that sets itself apart from the rest of the year. The streets are lined with decorations, Smitty has his crab pot tree at the harbor, and the shops are decorated as cheerfully as any in Ghent or Old Town Alexandria.

This season, I was fortunate to be able to be part of two wonderful Christmas events: acting in short skit at one of the stops along the Progressive Dinner Tour, and acting and directing in the Palace Theatre’s A Christmas Carol.

The Progressive Dinner Tour’s theme this year was “Christmas by the Bay,” where a yacht full of rich folks are stranded in the harbor, and are forced to endure the holidays in this little bayside village. Of course they, like all of us, fell in love with Cape Charles, and wind up buying a home here. My role in this little drama was to play the saucy Mrs. Lambertson, along with Michael Flannigan as the sea captain and Sagre Strutzman as the chef. I don’t mean to sound immodest, but on this evening I was certainly the sexiest woman in Cape Charles (and moving forward, possibly Cape Charles’ new “I”’ girl).

I have been involved in several Progressive dinners in the past, yet it seems like this year was truly one of the best. Carol Evans and the Chamber of Commerce, along with all the volunteers, should be commended for designing such an elegant, yet streamlined evening (we have seen some of these go well into the night). I wish I could review each and every location but I can only give a first person account from where I was working, at the beautiful Sea Gate Bed and Breakfast. Mr. Bannon did a wonderful job decorating for the occasion, filling each space from the Florida Room to the Peach, Blue, or Yellow bedrooms with ample color and holiday cheer.

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As always, the crew was a well-oiled machine, moving large and sometimes unwieldy groups through the house, and then making sure they each received proper Cape Charles refreshment. The cuisine at our location was provided by Kelly’s — a delectable combination of shredded beef short ribs, wild mushroom sauce with pappardelle pasta, garnished with rainbow carrots, grape tomatoes, and scallions. I have had the pleasure of enjoying many great dishes from Kelly’s over the years, but I have to say, on this night, this was one of their best.

The most impressive thing about this event is that every year, no matter the climate (meteorological, political, or financial), the Town comes together and works as a team to truly put on a show and highlight all the best Cape Charles has to offer. I can only speak from where I was, but from what I have heard from others, every spot along the tour was festive, delicious, fun, and elegant, and made this year’s Progressive Dinner a smashing success.

Over the years, Arts Enter and the Palace Theatre have attempted to bring our community shows and events that layer Cape Charles with holiday cheer. This tradition was cemented by Sheila Cardano, whose original Christmas dramas set the bar for how we approach each show. Trying to remember everything she taught us, the Cape Charles School of Dance and Arts Enter brought their version of A Christmas Carol to the stage. Once again, I was part of this show, so a truly unbiased opinion will not be possible — please take this review as you like it.

Having spent many years in the Washington DC area, I recall one season where Ford’s Theater downtown was putting on A Christmas Carol. Leading up to the show, the Washington Post published an extensive writeup on all aspects of the production, which, after actors, directors, crew, and set, had a budget in excess of $80,000. I bought tickets, and although the show was “good,” to me it seemed hardly worth the price tag. In reality, it was the same old, same old, a bit stodgy, and generally boring. When Amy Watkins and I decided to do this story this Christmas, we vowed that, hit or miss, we were not going to just trot out the same old Scrooge in the same old way. We would not even think of attempting such a thing without having such a supremely talented group of young thespians and dancers to yell at — I mean offer insight and encouragement.

At the base of the story are the visits that Scrooge receives from the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, and from the spirits of the Past, Present and Future. The role of Marley’s ghost is one of the most daunting in all theater, yet when we cast McKay Shockley, we knew we were putting the character in the right hands. Not that it was ever easy, McKay approached the role as a pro, fighting to achieve each shudder and nuance, while delivering one of the most difficult and important set of lines in the play.

As the ghost of Christmas Past, Emma Philpot combined the perfect elements of grace and care to create an aura of ephemeral charm that disarmed and softened the nasty Scrooge. Although her acting is always spot on, one of the challenges for Emma was being able to project her soft, delicate voice into the rafters of the Palace. Through technique and patience she accomplished this and exceeded all our expectations.

Those who saw last spring’s Curiosity Cat show well remember Ms. Lily Jo Mullaly, who killed as the Yiddish lion. As the spirit of Christmas Present, she once again brought that wit, charm, and impeccable comedic timing to bear in another unforgettable performance. When she collects that Academy Award, we can all say we knew her when.

When I think about the things that I love about Cape Charles, one has to be the chance that I have had to watch some of our kids begin from scratch, and through hard work and dedication emerge from their cocoons as full-fledged talents. A case in point is Ms. Taylor Terry, who played the role as the spirit of Christmas Future. The years of work that began way back with Christina Hardy, and is now nurtured and polished by Miss Amy, culminated in a truly dominant performance. Combining athleticism with lushness and hauteur, she was truly a “Spectre” for the ages.

The pinnacle of the show was the ensemble cast of the Cratchit family. As Mrs. Cratchit, Rachel Creed once again delivered a practiced, polished, professional caliber performance — intricate and insightful; her performance was the glue that always held the scene together. Newcomer Grace Baker provided a powerful, workmanlike performance as the meek Bob Cratchit. Her performance and interpretation was remarkable for an actor with such limited experience on the stage, as she truly captured the “Bob Cratchitness” of the role. As the children, Jada Crockett, Rylee Coates, Josephine Kohler, Neely Guinan, and Katie Colson created the commotion, chaos, and love that surrounded the Cratchit household and really made the scene come alive. Eli Philpot delivered big as Tiny Tim, always solid with his line, “God Bless Us Every One,” incorporating an inner beauty that sought to overcome his sickly body.

Creepy, sassy, and beautiful, Janey Guinan, Ronnie Guinan, and Courtney Smaw were almost perfect as Mrs. Dilber, the Laundry Woman, and Old Joe the pawnbroker. As directors, we were in awe of having such young actresses not only perfect the British accents, but also be able to lace the scene with comedy and just the right amount of the grotesque.

Amidst the wall of sadness, moroseness, shame, and guilt emerged Kai and Lucy Watson as the young Scrooge and his sister Fan from Christmas Past. One of the longest (and hardest) blocks of script to work with, Lucy was triumphant; proud, cute, and wonderful, a true life force, she carried the scene to its perfect landing spot, handing it over to (her real brother) Kai so he could wrap it up nice and tight.

Although the show was more about our young thespians, we really needed some help from our adult players, David Head as Scrooge’s nephew, and Michael Flannagan and Fran Loper as Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig. As always, they delivered solid, fun, and professional performances.

Director of choreography Amy Watkins once again leveraged her talent and years of dancing experience to use the Palace stage as her canvas, creating a visual mood that traveled from joyous and resplendent to a dark, frightening song of the miserable. As you watch these dancers progress through months of rehearsals, whether it’s the youngest ballerinas, the fun and frenetic creative movement class, the effervescent modern class, or the budding prima ballerina (point) Alison Shockley, these dancers all trust Miss Amy implicitly.

The sets by Clelia Shepherd and Nicole Hart and the costumes by Vera Miller (assisted by Katherine Reid) were once again spectacular, capturing the mood, essence, and intellectual integrity of the show. Behind the scenes, the crew was timely and on point. On light and sound, Chris Walker and Ethan Watson were always right on cue, and our best boys, Joey Creed (also another pro performance as boy in the street), Kai Watson, Gunner (Gunner was also remarkable playing the young Scrooge alongside Alison Shockley in Christmas Past), Torre Gustafson, and Bryce Reid were quick, nimble and smart—just what the directors needed.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” That may be true in a universal sense, but this season, our town proved to be both stage and player. The Progressive Dinner and Tasting Tour provided a celebration of our town’s historical past, present, and future, while Arts Enter provided a medium for our greatest asset — our kids — to ride along on Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey into Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

I don’t have much else to add, except to maybe end with what old Ebenezer says at the play’s conclusion, “A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!”