One might see the name of the play currently onstage at Key City Public Theatre (KCPT) in Port Townsend and think what this play about is obvious. It’s Christmastime after all, and when the name Dickens comes up in conversation at this time of year, it can only mean one thing, and of course that’s the classic and magical tale of redemption that is A Christmas Carol. So when I saw that a play called What the Dickens?! was in the offing at KCPT, my mind went right to that. Then, when I read the brief and it said “Ebenezer Scrooge meets Sherlock Holmes”, any thought of me knowing what I was in store for went out with last year’s milk and cookies.
What the Dickens?! is the new play, written by Doug Given. This production, directed by Amanda Steurer-Zamora, represents the world premiere of this new work and runs onstage through December 23. To say that this play is challenging to categorize is an understatement. Sure, it’s a Christmas story, but it’s also a murder mystery in addition to being a comically self-proclaimed musical extravaganza. But perhaps more than anything, What the Dickens?! is the most smartly written work I’ve seen created and produced in the area in a long time. Doug’s use of language is creative and uncanny. His phraseology drives a lot of the humor in the story, and it is very funny. The entire structure of the piece just works, though for all accounts it shouldn’t. How do you take characters like Scrooge, Marley, and Cratchit, mix them up in a whodunit, and at the same time make it just the right amount of funny while building a love letter to both film and theatre? This is how.
In What the Dickens?!, rather than managing a counting house, Scrooge and Marley run the Theatre Royale, an acting troupe that is putting on a “Holiday Extravaganza”, a vaudeville-style holiday variety show. More specifically, it’s Marley, along with Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and the entire Cratchit family, Bob, his wife, and his children, who are attempting to produce this holiday spectacle. I say attempting because you might imagine what Scrooge, who happens to be the theatre building’s proprietor, might think about a show dedicated to his least favorite holiday. Scrooge is, well, Scrooge, and while you might think you know what happens next with him and the rest of the classic characters turned entertainers, trust me, you don’t. It’s a murderous twist on the classic tale, told with music, juggling, mime, and a heck of a lot of puns.
There is a true vaudeville feel to this show, in every aspect of it. And as such, the group of actors portraying some of these non-familiar versions of familiar characters feel more like a troupe then a collection of individuals. Each definitely brings their own individual talents to bear, but together, they feel like the kind of group that could do almost anything together and do it well. Brendan Chambers and Christa Holbrook are Bob and Mrs. Cratchit, respectively. They are excellent together, and in a show that leans on its humor as much as this does, sometimes individual ability gets lost. Not here, though. Case in point, each of the actors in the show can sing, but Christa is superb. Her vocal ability shines in this role, as does Brendan’s ability to mime and use movement to present his character. The Amazing Fred, played wonderfully by Tomoki Sage is a surprisingly excellent juggler, and master of ceremonies Marley (Denise Winter) is quite the saxophonist. It’s a collection of wonderfully talented actors, who have also mastered a special comedic timing. Finally, rounding out the cast, is Paul Kiernan as Scrooge, and boy is he ever. Scrooge is an angry man of course and Paul plays him exactly how one would hope, but what makes this performance so unique is his ability to engage humorously at the same time. He’s mostly the straight man in this play and many of the laughs comes at his expense, but he’s easily and more than up to the role.
As I mentioned, What the Dickens?! isn’t just a Victorian whodunit, it’s also a love letter of sorts to a number of genres of theatre and film. There are too many inside references to count, but they’re mixed in very creatively in the script, not taking away from the story if an audience member doesn’t “get it”, but adding a layer of enjoyment for those that do. For example, pay attention to the name of the dog the actors talk about later in the play. It’s perhaps a deep cut, but it shows the excellence in Doug Given’s breadth of knowledge that he’s applied to this script.
Much of this love story to theatre and film is told through the play’s set design. Director Amanda Steurer-Zamora put this show together in concert with the playwright, so I’m sure that collaboration made this production true to Doug’s vision. There’s the musical extravaganza piece of this that feels like it’s something you’d see at a Disney park, the Sherlock Holmes theme, as well as a nod to film noir, and so many others. Terry Tennesen is the set designer here, and he has done such a wonderful job, particularly given the small space he had to work in at Key City. There are more set pieces than I would have suspected, and with Amanda’s staging, the changing of these scenes was efficient and clean. While some banging and what sounded like things dropping backstage could be heard every so often behind the curtain, honestly it just made it feel more like a vaudeville show, there’s a lot of roughness to those shows, so I’m more than ok with a little behind the curtain chaos here. Corinne Elysse Adams and her costume design complements the storytelling here as well. What the Dickens?! is a well paced show, and just as there are a decent amount of set changes, so it is with the costumes as well. Costumes that match the period on stage that can be easily switched out for the next can be difficult to get right, but like everything else here, it very much is done right. This is one of those plays where it feels like everything just works so well together both on stage and behind the scenes, and that includes things like lighting (Karen Anderson) and sound (Taylor Thomas March). Bry Kifolo, the show’s stage manager, surely deserves a nod here for making sure that the show runs as smoothly as it does. It’s clear that this entire group Amanda has put together to tell this wonderfully funny holiday tale are masters of their individual crafts.
What the Dickens?! is probably not what you think it is. Every aspect of this show is a surprise, and every surprise is a holiday treat. It’s Vaudeville meets Victorian England, it’s Scrooge meets Sherlock, and it’s everything that I’d want out of a feel good Christmas show. A laugh out loud spin on the classic Christmas redemption tale, What the Dickens?! should be at the top of your holiday theatre wish list. It’s anything but a “Humbug”.
What the Dickens?! runs onstage at Key City Public Theatre in Port Townsend through December 23. For more information and tickets, visit https://keycitypublictheatre.org/.
Port Townsend Arts Commission
