Elgin Theatre Company stages 'A Christmas Carol' as a radio play

Everything old is new again at the Elgin Theatre Company's production of "A Christmas Carol."

The company, which is celebrating its 65th year, will present the perennial favorite as a 1940s-era radio show, complete with authentic commercials from the time period. Performances are Friday-Sunday, Nov. 20-22, in Elgin Academy's Kimball Street Theatre.

"These are authentic, verbatim commercials and when you hear them you can't believe how they advertised stuff back then," said Linda Collins, director of the production and president of ETC's board of directors.

"They're actual period-specific commercials, so it's hilarious, some of the claims they made," added Greg Goetz, who plays Jacob Marley and several other characters. "Like they talk about how many doctors smoke Camels."

Like Goetz, nearly all of the actors, except for John F. Di Leo, who portrays Scrooge, play more than one character.

"It's a challenge for the voice," said Di Leo. "The voice is a natural tool. Scrooge isn't a challenge because I'm playing the same person. The other people who are playing multiple voices, that's a challenge and they are absolutely fantastic."

Blythe Gilio plays three separate characters: Scrooge's sister, Fan; his fiancé Belle, and The Widow Krook, the character she most hoped to be cast as.

"My little sister was in the Goodman production and we both adored this character," Gilio said. "She's a kind of grimy, old woman and she's kind of a scary lady, and I'm so excited that I get to play that part."

The challenge with playing a few of the characters in any given play, is making sure the audience never gets confused, according to Gilio.

"As Fan, in the first scene I am very excited because my big brother is coming home. Not two or three page later I play Belle, who is his love interest who is ending the relationship," she said. "It's definitely more difficult when you're not dressed as the character, but you're simply acting with your voice."

Although the stage will not be set in Victorian England, there is still some illusion to be met.

"The set is representational of an old 40s radio studio," said Collins. "We have the classic story of 'A Christmas Carol' and Ebenezer Scrooge. but we also have the fun of making it as a broadcast where they have live sound effects."

Di Leo, who began his community theater career at age 11 playing Scrooge's first boss, the warm-hearted Fezziwig, feels that a radio-style production of "A Christmas Carol" can be more accessible to the audience than some of the other local theater productions.

"It's always been a marvelous story, and because you've grown up with the story you know exactly what it would look in your mind," Di Leo said. "When you see it in a regular community stage play, you often are confronted with something other than what you are expecting.

"With the radio play theme, you don't have that challenge," Di Leo continued. "You walk in and instead of 1840s London, you see 1940s New York. We walk on stage and you close your eyes and hear the voices and picture what you grew up seeing in your mind."

"It is such a popular show, it's a new way to experience it," said Gilio. "Most people haven't seen that way before. It's that story you love, in a new way."

For tickets or details, visit www.Elgin-Theatre.org.

If you go

What: Elgin Theatre Company's radio play production of "A Christmas Carol"

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22

Where: Kimball Street Theatre in the Rider Center of Elgin Academy, at the northeast corner of Kimball Street and Dundee Avenue in downtown Elgin

Tickets: $18 adults; $15 for students and seniors

Details: <a href="http://www.Elgin-Theatre.org">www.Elgin-Theatre.org</a> or (847) 741-0532