The Servant's Quarters

Monday night was our first meeting and read through as the cast of A Christmas Carol. There were upwards of 40 people on the stage. It was our first opportunity to see who had been cast in which roles. Of course, the part that we were most interested in was Scrooge. The only thing that I knew for sure is that I had not been given the role.

The gentleman's name is Art. He and I had read for Scrooge together, and our approaches were markedly different. I wanted Scrooge to be a gruff, grumpy guy but I wanted to be careful to avoid caricature. I wanted to play him like a real guy. As a result, I suspect that my performance went off as a bit on the boring side. Art, however, threw himself into it, playing Scrooge as over-the-top nasty. Guess whose approach was the correct one?

I couldn't be happier for Art. While we were reading together during the audition, he confided in me that he had not been in acting for quite a long time. He told me that he's always loved A Christmas Carol, and Scrooge is a part he's always wanted to play. All that, plus the fact that I'm happier playing Cratchet, makes me extremely grateful for Angie's (the director) choices.

So, we all read our parts on Monday evening. I was surprised actually at how little Cratchet gets to say. However, I'll be on stage quite a bit. And it's going to be a blast. The kids did really well, too. Nathanael, especially, is going to make a wonderful Tiny Tim.

Last night, I went by myself up to the theater for my first blocking rehearsal. (Cratchet appears in the opening scene in Scrooge's office. Nothing for the kids to do yet.) Angie's a very kinetic director. During blocking, she stood on stage with us and moved through the scenes with us. She's also fun and runs a very relaxed rehearsal. Another thing that I enjoy about her is her resourcefulness. The stage upon which this play is going to be performed is incredibly small. We're talking seriously tiny. She explained to us how scene changes and staging were going to be handled in this limited environment. It all sounded really cool.

Towards the end of rehearsal, Angie caught me for a minute or two of private conversation that really made my day. She practically gushed about our family and told me how she thought of us a gift. A family that just dropped into her lap and who were perfect to play the Cratchets. She also told me exactly how I got the part. And now, it can be revealed - How I won the coveted role of Bob Cratchet. The scene I was given to read was the juiciest one for old Bob. It takes place in Christmas Future after the death of Tiny Tim. It's a real tear jerker. And the clincher for me was - I actually wept during the audition. I cried. Quite a bit in fact. When I came off the stage, Angie met me on the stairs, cupped my face in her hands, and said, "WOW!" Last night, she told me that after that audition, she knew that she had her Bob Cratchet.

As busy as the coming weeks are going to be, this is going to be a lot of fun!