FARNDALE AVENUE HOUSING ESTATE TOWNSWOMEN'S GUILD DRAMATIC SOCIETY'S PRODUCTION OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL

arting in November in nearly every corner of the country, some version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is trotted out to spark the holiday season. Some are faithful renditions of the classic, some are mean-spirited attacks on sentimentality, and others are comedic adventures. The Chance Theater Company, performing in an industrial complex in a new building smelling of fresh paint, is presenting its production sponsored by the Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society, those stalwart ladies who have done such other classics as Macbeth, The Mikado, and Murder at Checkmate Manor. Though one hesitates to call the ladies inept, a plethora of unfortunate disasters seem to befall the cast at every turn. Their stage manager, Gordon (David Cramer), is a petulant, smirking cherub with the face of Benny Hill and bearing a lot of his mannerisms. Filling in as a ghost and Mrs. Crachitt, among others, he provides a little masculine burlesque in this all-female cast. Mrs. Reece (Mary-Ann Saranchak) is the quintessential lady's club president, bustling about with her handbag over her arm—it is the one clue to the identity of the ghost of Christmas Future. The youthful Felicity (Sarah Moreau) is a tap-dance queen, unfailingly pleasant and a bit of a ditz. Mercedes (Annie Mezzacappa), still recovering from her awful traffic accident, gamely fills multiple roles between spasms that leave her contorted but cheerful. The true actress of the group, Thelma (Karen Harris), fills the role of Scrooge with earnest seriousness. Her fellow cast mates are a sore trial to her, but she stays so the show can go on. Thirteen-year-old Brittany Soldo fills in as the assistant stage manager and a violinist offering the opening musical number. Husband and wife Bradley and Patricia Miller direct, design the sets, produce the very effective sound design, light the stage, and choreograph the musical numbers. It is truly a mom-and-pop operation that bears the mark of enthusiasm. To divulge any of the mishaps that occur as the show goes on would be churlish, for the company is giving its all. Pulling in audience members, playing charades, singing and dancing are added bonuses, though the show could be trimmed at the end to achieve a stronger finish. Some of the games and singalongs might be better introduced before the Carol itself. Even so, for pure slapstick, overacting, and a charming small house production, the Chance group proves that theatre is thriving in the most unlikely places in the Southland. "Farnsdale Ave. Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of 'A Christmas Carol.'" presented by and at the Chance Theatre, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Nov. 14-Dec. 20. $13-15. (714) 777-303