FEZZIWIG’S FORTUNE

Fezziwig’s Fortune, directed by Josie Seid at Twilight Theater Company, is the first play I’ve seen this year that made me cry. Written by Seid and Sara Jean Accuardi, the moving production is a wonder that takes a frank look at death, while still glowing like a winter candle with warmth and joy.

Seid and Accuardi’s script alone is a Christmas miracle, with beautifully written lines and large themes, all combined in a coherent, compact package that explores ideas about marriage, parenthood, guilt, grief, gender roles, spirituality and the different ways we view success. Oh, and it’s very funny, too.

Set in “the dodgy bits” of Victorian London, Fezziwig fleshes out the merry character, Mr. Fezziwig (Lawrence Siulagi), from Charles Dickens’ story A Christmas Carol. In a comic bit, his apprentice, a young Ebenezer Scrooge (Stephon Dale), makes an appearance here as someone who’s so uninterested in Christmas that he can’t even figure out how to wrap a garland around a railing. Fezziwig’s backstory, which delves beyond his party-hardy personality, is more serious, though. Not only is his daughter Joy (Brittainy Mather) dead, but his business is dying, too, and he feels like a failure who’s let down his whole family. As if this weren’t hard enough, his beloved wife, Catherine (Ruth Jenkins), gets some bad health news.

The relationship between the three family members is at the heart of the story. The bouncy Mrs. Fezziwig, who hops about and makes her big head of curls bounce, is grieving for her daughter and not thrilled about the prospect of prematurely leaving her husband for the great beyond. At the same time, though, she’s pragmatic and determined to make what’s left of her earthly life as merry as possible. “Knowing the wine won’t last much longer makes each sip a little sweeter,” she tells her husband.

Long portions of the play show the couple in their home, and I would have been happy to watch them for many hours more. Smooching, scolding, dancing, and debating, the sublime Siulagi and Jenkins are wholly believable as a loving and lusty pair who want to spend eternity wrapped around each other. When reminiscing about their wedding night, Mrs. Fezziwig starts laughing, and her husband says, “We’re clearly not having the same memory,” and even in their grief, they enjoy their long mornings in bed.

The spirit of Joy is another matter. With her pale fists clenched, she’s crackling with anger at the heavenly higher-ups who won’t let her comfort her sorrowing parents. Later, we learn she was like that in life, too, and she blames herself for once burdening her parents with her morose and sullen disposition. Neither her mother nor her father, though, will stand for such talk. Mr. Fezziwig calls her his “clever little miracle” and Mrs. Fezziwig says, “You were my joy” and that she always loved her for being “strange and deep and strong.”

Mr. Fezziwig, named Philpot here, expresses the same admiration for his fiery wife. She may be dressed in a full red and green patchwork skirt that could have come from the costume department of a cozy Christmas special, but what her husband loves is her feistiness. The implication is that love, unlike society, doesn’t expect people to behave in a prescribed way, an idea that Seid’s production shows without succumbing to surface-level sermonizing.

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Playing with time as well as societal expectations, costumes (designed by Hannah Odean and Seid) such as Joy’s black floor-length mourning dress, give a nod to Dickens’ era, with some modern touches. This is true with the spirit Hope (Brenna Warren), who wears flowy bohemian garb.

The Fezziwigs’ holiday ball is a time-bending delight, too. At first the couple are delicately dancing to the tinkling music of a harpsichord; then we hear the sound of a needle ripping across a vinyl record, and the music becomes a dramatic, techno version of “Carol of the Bells,” with the Christmas guests performing loose, contemporary moves that add humor to the heart-wrenching story and imply that their time and ours are one.

With Dickensesque set design by James Grimes and the sounds of thunder and eerie wind (designed by Jaime Fields) accompanying the spirits, the production immerses us in a world where the everyday and the supernatural merge. The only time where this ambitious play faltered a little for me was when we got a glimpse into Philpot’s boyhood, which didn’t have quite the same emotional impact as the other scenes. But perhaps that’s only because there are so many powerful moments throughout the show, they couldn’t possibly strike everyone the same way.

While watching Siulagi’s subtle portrayal, his elegant delivery and presence reminded me of the actor Jimmy Smits. It was only later, when I awoke in the wee hours of the next morning, that I realized his Mr. Fezziwig also evoked memories of my own late father. That is the biggest miracle of Seid’s production: It gives each audience member a chance to tenderly touch their own fears, losses and loves, which is an awe-inspiring feat of theater magic.

See “Fezziwig’s Fortune” through Dec. 22  at Twilight Theater Company, 7515 N. Brandon Ave., Portland. Ticket and schedule information here.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

There’s a scene in Stumptown Stage’s new musical It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Patrick Nims, where Mary Hatch Bailey (Jaclyn Ver Hulst) barrels through her front door and into the arms of her husband, George (Diego Solan Kjelland). That vibrant moment is emblematic of the spirit of this polished and thoroughly enjoyable world premiere, which bursts on the stage with a whirl of colorful costumes, music and movement.

Seeing the musical adaptation of Frank Capra’s 1946 film is like coming home to a beloved and familiar story to find it enlivened by a live orchestra, which is directed here by Barney Stein. Along with the spirit-lifting songs, the rousing showbiz-style dances choreographed by Jeff George made me want to dig out my tap shoes the minute I got back to my own house. 

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Even for those of us who have the film memorized, this production is full of such fresh delights, including seeing mean old Mr. Potter’s (Mark Pierce) goons dressed in hats and dark overcoats and singing and dancing to the witty “No Such Thing as a Good Boy,” or watching the surreal red-lit “Potter’s Revenge” number, which adds some spice to the sweet show as the company dances with the jerky movements of marionettes while wearing blank, almost zombielike expressions.

Of course, the big question with an adaptation of a famous film is whether contemporary actors can compare to the icons we know so well from the big screen. For instance, I find it hard to believe that Hugh Jackman could possibly hold a candle to Robert Preston’s portrayal of Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man. Can anyone fill James Stewart’s big shoes as George Bailey, the ambitious kid who dreams of seeing the world, only to get stuck living in poky old Bedford Falls? The answer is an emphatic yes. Kjelland has the energetic presence – not to mention the voice and agility – of an old-time stage and screen star. Stewart’s intriguing performance has always struck me as being surprisingly dark for a movie that’s a holiday family favorite. In fact, at times he’s so frustrated and angry, I’m a little fearful for Donna Reed’s Mary. In contrast, Kjelland’s George exudes an affability that makes it clear why Mary ever looked at him in the first place.  

Ver Hulst, too, whose strong singing voice and confident dancing in her dazzling blue dress brings fire to her performance as a woman who has four babies, one right after the other, then single-handedly remodels a falling-down house. And, speaking of powerful women, it’s refreshing that the Voice from Beyond is played by Ashley Moore, who barks and growls at the kindly Clarence, angel, second-class (Daniel Bahr) when he struggles to concentrate on the task at hand.

Janet Mouser’s book uses Clarence’s character to good effect by having his narration give us a brief rundown of scenes that would be hard to stage, like the one in the movie where George’s brother Harry falls through the ice. And while the film’s Clarence was a bit of a fool, Bahr’s wingless angel is a congenial softie who oohs and aahs over George and Mary’s wedding, saying, “You should have seen the flowers.”

If the story didn’t always require, in my view, explanatory narration or the embellishment of a song, such as during George’s father’s funeral, that’s the smallest of quibbles. Overall, the music is a blast, perhaps because it was created by an entire team of talented people, with lyrics by Alan Berg, music and additional lyrics by Michael Allen Harrison, additional lyrics by the book’s author, Janet Mouser, additional music and lyrics by Julianne Johnson, additional music by Kirk Mouser, who also came up with the show’s concept, and orchestrations by Adam Boch and Jon Newton. Whew.  

With an abundance of red and green cheer and a tirelessly charming supporting cast – we always knew Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver (the engaging Danny Walker and Kai de Mello-Folsom) would make a stellar song-and-dance team – the play is a reminder that as cozy as it is to stream entertainment from the comfort of our own homes, it always makes life more wonderful to be immersed in the communal joy of a live show.

Stumptown Stages’ “It’s a Wonderful Life” is onstage through Dec. 22 at the Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland. Ticket and schedule information here.

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