Arts & Entertainment
Family Affair for the Murrays at Silver Spring Stage
Adaptation of A Christmas Carol gives whole family a chance to get in the holiday spirit.
The , a local theater company, performs Michael Hardwick adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with four members of Silver Spring’s Murray family – dad Brendan, mom Kirsten, daughter Kelsey and son Ian involved in the production.
During the show's last weekend, Brendan said expressed how performing with his family has been very special to him.
“Both of my children are acting on stage; my daughter helped paint the set, as did my wife who also helped with costuming, hospitality, and backstage logistics; I occasionally ran the sound board. To have the whole family participate in the creation of such a beautiful end product is a rare gift,” he continued.
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The production transplanted the familiar tale of Ebenezer Scrooge gaining redemption—set in Victorian England in1843—to World War era II-era London to explore how tensions of war add to the stress of the holiday season.
Brendan was pleased with the change in place and time.
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“By placing the story in the 1940's it helps emphasize how timeless the message is. It's a story of redemption, family and community, and treasuring what is truly most important.” Murray continued, “There’s just no better time to be reminded of that than at Christmas,” Brendan said.
The 23-person cast and 35-person crew hail from a variety of backgrounds and faiths, and gave all the opportunity to express their creativity through various roles and functions.
Kelsey Murray, who played Mary Cratchit, enjoyed working with her family.
“It felt great, and I felt a great deal of support,” she said. “I knew that even if I make a mistake onstage my family was there to help me out. It was a wonderful bonding experience,” she said.
The crowd on Saturday, Dec. 17 was as diverse as the cast and crew, and included a number of children, some coming out to see the play’s youngest actor, Ian, in the role of Tiny Tim Cratchit.
When asked whether seeing his friends in the audience would make him nervous, he responded like a season pro.
“I like it! My favorite part is when I say my line ‘God Bless Us, Every One,’ and people say ‘aaaaaawwwwwww!’”
The Silver Spring Stage’s next production is “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” by Sarah Ruhl.
