INTERVIEW: Modern-day Harlem is setting for this revitalized ‘Christmas Carol’
Photo: Ure Egbuho stars as Sierra Jones, and Charles Bernard Murray as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in Harlem. Photo courtesy of Jill Jones / Provided by GOGO PR with permission.
A Christmas Carol in Harlem has returned for the second year in a row to the Classical Theatre of Harlem, and the message of the new take on Charles Dickens’ famous novella is as important as ever.
This version of the beloved tale is directed by Carol Cofield, based on an adaptation by Shawn René Graham, according to press notes. There have been several key changes made to the inaugural production from last year. For starters, A Christmas Carol in Harlem, which runs through Dec. 21, is now playing in a new theater featuring a three-quarter thrust stage with the audience surrounding the action, according to a press release. There’s a new set, new music pieces, new projections and new costumes.
The classic characters are all present and accounted for, including Scrooge, this year played by Charles Bernard Murray. The actor portrays a character who has an immense amount of wealth, but he doesn’t use any of this good fortune to reinvest in the local community of Harlem. It takes the visit of several ghosts on Christmas Eve for him to change his mindset and his ways.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Murray, known for his role in The Bacchae. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
When did you first experience A Christmas Carol in life? Was it a show when you were young? Was it reading Charles Dickens’ original novella?
I first discovered A Christmas Carol watching an old black-and-white movie version with my grandmother as a young child. Vincent Price played Scrooge. I was completely captivated by the tale. Over the years it’s been done so many times, in so many ways, and I have seen most of them.
What do you like about this adaptation, A Christmas Carol in Harlem?
I’m most intrigued by the relevance of this adaptation. In a day and age where capitalistic greed has completely overshadowed the true meaning of the season, I believe our version of this classic tale, and especially our modern-day Scrooge, depicts the ills, results and terminal diagnosis of a society that has lost its basic empathy for all of humanity.
What do you feel the piece says about life in Harlem and New York City, in particular the current real estate situation?
I have been a licensed real estate professional since 1990 and working here in New York City since 2009. I have watched as the housing market, and especially the residential rental market, have exploded out of control, forcing many to leave Manhattan and Harlem in particular. Management companies and owners have instituted guidelines within their rental applications that make it almost impossible for the average person to afford to rent in Harlem.
For example: I work with some of the new rent-controlled buildings in Harlem. The income requirements to rent in most of the new rent-control units ask for documentation of an income from one working tenant proving they make between $100,000 to $125,000 per/year.
Why does a person making six figures need a rent-controlled apartment? When did making six figures translate as an average income? The housing market in Manhattan is out of control, and don’t get me started on the commercial market.
How do you approach the character of Scrooge? How do you make this well-known character original?
I’ve been toiling with my Scrooge being both real and authentic. Whenever I’m directing or coaching an actor, I tell them to look inside of themselves to find the character. Try not to put on a mask but attempt to take off more of your own mask to reveal more of yourself, even if it is a part of you that you’re ashamed of, afraid of or embarrassed to reveal.
My Scrooge must be CB, but that part of CB who is selfish, greedy, myopic and devoid of empathy for the world around him. Scrooge is my dark side, my hurt inner child longing to be loved, but afraid to be vulnerable. I know he’s in there; my job is to let him out.
What do you love so much about the arts to dedicate your life to this form of expression?
I believe that the arts, when used responsibly, and with a social conscience, can help heal, inform and direct social, political and environmental issues. The Dalai Lama said it best when he said, ‘Artists are the most accountable because we have the largest influence on the largest audiences.’
I saw the original version and cast of the WIZ in 1976, when I was 17 years old, and they literally saved my life. I was on a path of self-destruction. But by the time Dorothy (Stephanie Mills) finished singing ‘Home,’ I knew then and there what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to tell stories that could touch lives in the way that they had touched mine. I am doing my best to live out the words of Bernard Shaw and use my talents to be ‘a world betterer.’ I honestly believe that true artists are put into this world to help make it better.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
A Christmas Carol in Harlem, starring Charles Bernard Murray, is now being produced by the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Performances run through Dec. 21 at City College Center for the Arts’ Aaron Davis Hall in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
