This year, the Goodman Theatre marks its 34th production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. While most are familiar with the immortal tale of Scrooge and his ghosts, the story lays behind the curtain this year.
Steve Scott—a veteran producer, actor and director—returns after 19 years to direct the production. However, playing the role of the Undertake ron stage is his partner of more than 30 years, Ted Hoerl. " It was the casting director's idea," said Hoerl. "When I showed up for the audition Larry Yando, who plays Scrooge, asked 'You're making him audition?!?!'"
Hoerl said that this was not the first time his partner directed him in a play: "It's not an issue to have Steve directing me. This isn't the first time. To him, I'm just another actor in his show."
Scott admitted that he returned to direct A Christmas Carol in part because of, as he put it, his "hubris and selfishness." Scott said, "I love the story and I love its evolution. This year I wanted to enlarge the emotional scope of the show. A Christmas Carol is filled with very sad moments, very scary moments and very happy moments. This is an encompassing emotional experience."
During an era of want and hard times, A Christmas Carol resonates more clearly to its modern audience. "There is a line from the play, I think it was Scrooge's nephew who said that we are 'all fellow passengers to the grave'. It's not so much the line but the sentiment that it carries. We are connected to everyone else," said Scott. "This time of self-isolation and entitlement? No one is concerned with how we are linked together and I think this play shows that."
Hoerl added, "When Steve is directing he reminds us that these people are 'fighting for Christmas.' Scrooge is the 1 percent; the rest of the players are the 99 percent."
Scott pointed out that this story deals with individuals who are confronted with exceptionally difficult times: "How do you maintain your hope and optimism in the face of such bleakness?" It's that question he hoped to answer with this production.
Scott found the challenge in directing A Christmas Carol did not come from the story, saying, "Through the years, this story has evolved. You don't start fresh every year. You are dealing with the moments of past directors and past and present actors. It's the job of the director, I think, to be a collaborator and coordinate those moments from the past."
Hoerl agreed, saying, "There are some directors that dangle their actors like a puppet master but Steve is genuinely concerned with collaboration." Scott's secret in not only collaborating with the cast but also allowing the cast to act as a cohesive team was to "make them feel like a family." With a cast of nearly 30 actors, that is no small feat.
For many gay couples, merely getting through a day together can be a challenge, and that's when that couple isn't working together. "We have a rule," said Hoerl. "We cannot talk about the show at home." Scott added, "It's easier to work together now than it had been in the past. It's not like we're working side by side in an office."
The couple first worked together in Love! Valour! Compassion! "Oh that was terrifying for me," said Hoerl. Still, both noted the play and that experience as their finest work. "It was incredibly exciting, artistically, as a director," said Scott. "Working with Ted was also surprisingly moving." Hoerl added, "So much of me was exposed through the play." He then joked, "But you kept casting straight men in the other roles!" "Well at least they were attractive straight men," said Scott.
Both Scott and Hoerl, in addition to acting and directing, also teach their craft to the next generation. However, each approached the subject with some trepidation. "There is an electronic disconnect with the younger generation," said Hoerl. "They think their Facebook friends are their actual friends. There is just a tremendous lack of knowledge of what came before them.
The cultural disconnect is important to an actor's craft since it is the actor's charge to emote and without that history and those connections, an actor can lose sense of his role and a sense of community. "I frequently teach Angels in America and when we discuss what was going on during that time, I might as well be talking about the fall of Constantinople," said Scott. The stories that the so-called "electronic generation" have are frequently external. "When we were growing up there [were] no streaming cable news networks. We listened to old people and their stories. That made the experiences deeply personal," said Hoerl.
With the continuing loss of community, Scott wondered, "Will theatre continue? As we become more disconnected, theatre becomes more and more important." Hoerl added, "There are so few communal activities left."
However, there is hope, and both Scott and Hoerl said that A Christmas Carol is not only significant for its internal lessons but also the community that develops in the theatre itself. "The casting of this play is very significant," said Hoerl. "Steve tried to make it as multicultural and diverse as possible. The point is clear: This is about us as community. Every picture you see is about diversity."
Scott said that he was "very proud to be a part of this production. How much more does it mean to me to have Ted in this production? Words cannot express that personal connection."
A Christmas Carol runs through Dec. 31 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. For ticket pricing and information about the show, visit www.GoodmanTheatre.org . For more information and to see live interviews of Steve Scott and Ted Hoerl, go to www.chicaggayhistory.org .
