A very Marley Christmas - Chicago Reader

The holidays are upon us, which means memorable productions like A Christmas Carol provide the toasty comfort of a coal furnace and a warm scarf. But if you’re looking for a fun and different take on the familiar Dickens classic, grab your stovepipe hat and head over to Lifeline Theatre’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, written by Tom Mula and starring Phil Timberlake. This one-man, nineteen-character production is a delightful journey through the world of spirits and curmudgeons, but with a new twist on the well-worn tale.

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol
Through 12/22: Fri–Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM; Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood, 773-761-4477, lifelinetheatre.com, $45

Dickens’s original story begins with talk of Marley’s death seven years prior, and we only see him as a chain-clad apparition. But Mula’s story not only takes Marley’s perspective by illuminating his own journey after his demise—it also provides fresh insights into many of the themes of the original, inventing new characters who seem penned by Dickens himself. In Marley’s story, we get a glimpse of the afterlife, with poignant observations about who looks over us—good and bad.

We witness more of the rivalry between Marley and Scrooge while they were alive, with Timberlake effortlessly transforming from one miser to the other. Timberlake is charmingly Dickensian, seemingly plucked from the dirty streets of 19th-century London and totally engrossing and hilarious in his multiple roles—a true pleasure to watch. Mula played Scrooge in the Goodman’s A Christmas Carol for seven years in the 1990s and performed his own play for several years, starting in 1998. He gives Marley, who is a kind of “Scrooge lite,” the responsibility to redeem his former partner, despite Scrooge being the most undeserving target of charity. Marley’s quest ultimately reminds us all what true charity really means.