10:25 AM EST on Friday, December 2, 2005

BY CHANNING GRAY
Journal Arts Writer

What a difference a cast makes.

Trinity Rep's Ivy company of A Christmas Carol is, compared to the Holly cast, a much more lively and imaginative bunch.

Right from the start, when Fred Sullivan Jr., as Marley, pokes his head through a trap door mounded with snow and gives a comic look like "Here I am," you know this is a show with an edge.

And when Sullivan dies, he does so with a flourish, squirming and stretching out his hands like a pair of claws.

But what makes this version so appealing is Timothy Crowe's masterful portrayal of Scrooge. Crowe, who has played the miserly old skinflint nearly a dozen times over the years, pretty much owns the part.

He's a natural, playing the role as a man hardened to life but not entirely inhuman, not a cardboard cutout of a villain. There's a touch of humor when he mocks clerk Bob Cratchit, and a chuckle when he thinks of his long-dead partner Jacob Marley.

And when he wakes from his time among the spirits, there's a real sense of transformation. Crowe is giddy with the realization that there is time to make amends.

The show, of course, is essentially the same as the Holly version, set amid a stage piled high with plastic snow. Scrooge has no office per se, but stands amid the drifts in the center of the stage.

Cratchit's office is a cold and barren lair on a platform to the right of the stage, with just a snow-covered bench and a stool. His home, elevated to the left, is not much cozier.

The ghosts in this production are no more inspiring than in the Holly version, except for Peter Dolan of North Kingstown, who did a more than passable job as the young ghost of Christmas Present. He is replaced by other older actors along the way to make it seem as though the ghost is aging before our eyes.

The Ghost of Christmas Past is an angel of sorts who whisks Scrooge off to his youth at boarding school and his apprenticeship with Fezziwig, a jovial Joe Wilson Jr. But there is something underwhelming about the whole effect.

What should be the imposing, jolly ghost of Christmas Present seems awkward with the many character changes. It just doesn't cut it.

More intriguing is the Ghost of Christmas Future, which is a squealing shadow projected on the floor from a Plexiglas booth high above the stage, although sometimes it's a little hard to make out.

It's the little details that sets this show off, characters like Janice Duclos' blustery Mrs. Partlet, who has the wits scared out of her when she finds a born-again Scrooge on Christmas morn. Duclos invests so much more in the part than Samara Abrams of the Holly company. She also makes a rollicking Mrs. Fezziwig.

But some of the truly funny moments -- and this is a more humorous show than the Holly rendition -- come from Cynthia Strickland, as Topper's girlfriend at the Christmas party at cousin Fred's. Someone holds a sprig of mistletoe over the heads of Sullivan, as Topper, and Strickland, and he gives her a kiss with a deep dip at the waist. Strickland returns the favor.

Then she turns up later as the quirky peddler Old Joe, hawking her wares in a baby carriage.

Stephen Thorne made a fine Cratchit, kind of heart and sweet of temperament. When he comes home and finds daughter Martha hiding, he pretends to play along, while peeking under the tablecloth in search of her.

Solicitors Robin Galloway and Joe Wilson Jr., seeking donations from a Scrooge who has yet to see the light, don't do a lot with the parts.

The show is backed up by a trio of flute, viola and guitar with Jared C. Hartley, Steve Jobe and Chris Lussier.

Both shows, of course, are ideal for the kids, with the magic of the snow scenes where Scrooge zips about on a sled on wheels, and the appearance of the giant Christmas tree at the end of the show. But for adults, the Ivy show is the clear winner.

A Christmas Carol runs at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St., Providence, through Dec. 24. Tickets are $40 on weekdays, $50 on weekends. Children are $20 weekdays, and $25 weekends. Discounted admission (valid ID required) for students (Dec. 1 only), and seniors, educators, military, police, firefighters; $15 rush tickets (two hours before showtime). Last-row bench seats are $10.

Call (401) 351-4242, or go to www.trinityrep.com if buying only full-priced adult tickets.