by Julia Doerr
A Christmas Carol, Lincoln Community Playhouse, Friday November 18, 2022 7:30PM
As he did last year at this time, actor and Beatrice native Dick Terhune is starring at the Lincoln Community Playhouse in a one-man production of A Christmas Carol, by Patrick R. Spadaccino, an excellent adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic. This is an outstanding performance by a professional artist and should not be missed.
As soon as the theatre darkens, Terhune’s brisk entrance as the narrator of Dickens’ familiar story has the audience immediately engaged. The fact that Terhune is an accomplished voice actor is immediately apparent by the rich quality of his expressive voice and his comfortable use of a British accent. In fact, he uses several British accents as he inhabits several different characters. Terhune ably handles the role of narrator plus 2-3 other characters at a time with such precision and clarity that one never loses track of who is speaking in even a fast-paced scene. The storytelling is impeccable.
At no time does Terhune rely on gimmicks of set, props, or special effects other than his voice. The set is nice, but very simple, with just a few pieces of Victorian-style furniture that never move. Props, such as wineglasses, are mostly pantomimed. Costumes, other than Terhune’s period suit of clothes and hat, are described rather than seen. Nothing else is necessary. All is conveyed effectively by a good script and good acting.
The first act runs just under one hour and ends with the departure of the Ghost of Christmas Past. During the intermission, audience members were overheard remarking with awe on the feat of memorization that Terhune had accomplished. He repeats this in the second act, adding another hour to the length of the show. There are no slow spots; every moment is engaging. The audience went home happy at about 9:30.
The one unfortunate thing about the evening was that the house was woefully undersold. But that means there should be tickets to be had for Saturday and Sunday’s performances. I suggest you get some for you and your friends.
If you go: A Christmas Carol runs Nov. 18th & 19th at 7:30PM, and Nov. 20th at 2PM. Tickets may be purchased at https://www.lincolnplayhouse.com.
Julia Doerr is a retired high school English teacher and lifelong lover of theater.
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