Like The Dickens

Dorne as... 

Dickens

It is hard not to like Dorne Lefere, who plays both Charles Dickens and Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.  At rehearsals, Dorne’s devilish sense of humor keeps everyone on their toes.  He can be simultaneously self-deprecating and self-promoting.   And he never met an innuendo he didn’t like.   But behind all his frivolity is a serious actor with an amazing ability to memorize lines and capture the essence of his characters. A Christmas Carol is his tenth adventure at the Barn.

I first met Dorne during The Producers, when he was Max Bialystock and I was Carmen Ghia.   Now, as the mild-mannered Bob Cratchit, I face the full brunt of his wrath as the mercurial Scrooge.  Dorne enjoys the role because “It is fun to transition the character throughout the play from despised to (almost) beloved.”   He also loves the portrayal of Dickens as a “fun-loving and frustrated thespian” and the challenge of playing two characters who are so vastly different: “The story is so timeless and uplifting that you can’t watch it without coming away feeling good.  I also liked that Dickens and his guests actually perform the story.”

Dorne credits director Nancy Cooper with excellent casting: “In all seriousness, after our first rehearsal I couldn’t imagine anybody else in each of the respective roles.  Everyone is perfect.” But with typical unseriousness, Dorne adds, “Even Forster, who frankly seems a little too much at home wrapped in chains.  I don’t even want to go there.” 

Audiences are in for a real treat when they come to see A Christmas Carol, but if you take Dorne too literally, you might not want to sit in the front row:  “Of all the versions of this classic I have seen, I think that Donald Duck really nailed the Scrooge character best. I plan to introduce some slight spitting and drooling as an homage to his rendition.”

To win free tickets to opening night of A Christmas Carol for a friend or family member, send an email by November 19^th to AChristmasCarol@farmingtonplayers.org and tell us why they are deserving. (Scroll down to my November 1^st blog entry for full details.)  But don’t wait to buy your own tickets, which are going fast.  Go to www.farmingtonplayers.org or call the box office at 248-553-2955. Find us on Facebook under "Farmington Players".