I saw Capital Playhouse’s take on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol a few weeks back and liked how the theater, which is known for perfection, served up a wonderful musical version of the show. Scrooge: The Musical is still playing at the theater if anyone is interested and deems himself worthy to see such a show. It really was remarkable because of its depth of talent throughout the playbill. There was not a weak member in the cast. Not a one. On the top of that talent peak is Jeff Kingsbury, who reprises his well-noted portrayal of the old humbug himself.



While this musical version has far too many dance numbers to fit the historical period of the Victorian age, Lakewood’s version plays it straighter but with just as much heart and impact.



First off, the theater-in-the-round style with the audience on all sides draws viewers into the scene the way traditional stages just can’t muster. Theatergoers are not watching the show; they are more part of the scenery or “flies on walls” as the action unfolds. Actors perform inches away from their audiences, so there is no up stage or down stage. There are no places to hide bad acting when a show is staged in the round. Good thing there was no need for that here.



Credit for that — as well as the simple but effective set — goes to Erin Chanfrau, Lakewood’s resident designer of the highest note. Granted, I have known Chanfrau since I had a bit of a crush on her when we were in high school, but that was a long time ago. It hasn’t jaded my admiration of her talent for bringing the page to the stage so effectively and consistently. She lets the set accent the show — not overpower the action of the actors.



Tops on the acting side of the playbill is Ernie Heller, a veteran of the Lakewood stage. He does not portray Ebenezer Scrooge. He is Scrooge. Actually, I met him a few years ago, and he is a great guy in person, but you know what I mean. Heller is one of those actors along the likes of John Munn, Micheal O’Hara and Andrew Fry, who absorb the role and make it their own in the style of Nicholas Cage. When their characters get made, it seems like they draw from themselves, get mad and spill that raw emotion out onto the stage. If Heller didn’t have a successful career as a judge, he could likely make a go of this acting thing.



So depending on your preference — whether you want to see a musical or a traditional version of the holiday classic — there are great options facing you. But the better choice might be to see them both and compare notes.



[Lakewood Playhouse, A Christmas Carol: A Christmas Ghost Story, through Dec. 28, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $14-$22, actors-benefit show 2 p.m. Dec. 20, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd. S.W., Lakewood, 253.588.0042]

[Capital Playhouse, Scrooge: The Musical, through Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $25-$37, 612 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.943.2744]

Also on stage

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

The great story about the most noted editorial ever written is on the stage at Olympia Little Theatre. The show, Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus, starts simply with an editor answering a little girl’s letter about Santa. “Dear Editor, I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says if you see it in the Sun, it’s so. Please tell me the truth. Is there a Santa Claus?” In 1897, 8-year-old Virginia Hanlon wrote the editor of the New York Sun asking if there was really a Santa Claus.  His answer led to one of the most famous editorials of all time. This classic holiday story comes alive as the theater stages a radio play version of the show.

[Olympia Little Theatre, through Dec. 21, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 to 12, 1925 Miller Ave. N.E., Olympia, 360.943.7500]



Stardust for Christmas

Harlequin Productions is well into its holiday mode as it stages Stardust for Christmas, the latest installment of the theater’s original series of shows set in a New York nightclub during World War II.  

[State Theater, through Dec. 29, 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, with special added dates, $34-$38, 202 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.786.0151]



The Slipper & the Rose

Romance is making its West Coast premiere as it retells the classic Cinderella story through music and dance.

[Tacoma Musical Playhouse, through Dec. 21, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, $18-$25, 7116 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.6867]



Reefer Madness

Elizabeth Lord has gotten herself into another mess. The noted Olympian thespian has found herself tied up with the cast of Reefer Madness, inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name. This outrageously funny show takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the anti-drug hysteria of that era that seems to have turned otherwise clean-cut teen-agers into hopped up addicts and monsters after their first toke of the mean weed.

[Minnaert Center, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 7 and 21 2 p.m., Dec. 14 8 p.m., $15, South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Rd. S.W., Olympia, 360.357.3471]