A Christmas Carol Calls To All Creeds

Armand Banooni (far right) as Young Ebenezer
dances with Belle as Scrooge looks on.

So what’s a nice Jewish boy doing in a play like this?  Armand Banooni might not be the most likely actor ever to be cast in A Christmas Carol, but he fits right in with the Farmington Players’ production of Charles Dickens’ classic tale.   Armand says, “When I was given the chance to be a part of A Christmas Carol I wanted to be in it not only to improve my English accent under the expert tutelage of our own Joan Boufford, and not only to have another chance to work with Nancy Cooper as my director, but also to be part of a Christmas show for the first time.”

Like most actors in the show, Armand plays several characters, starting with Frederick Dickens, Charles Dickens’ nephew:  “Fredrick is the kind of person who enjoys a good laugh and has a good sense of humor.  He enjoys the ‘theatricals’ Charles Dickens often has them perform.”  Frederick is charged by Dickens to play a number of characters, including Fred, Peter Cratchit, Young Ebenezer, Ole Joe, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Armand’s favorite character is Fred, and observes that “though his uncle Scrooge is less than cordial to him, Fred still has nothing bad to say about Scrooge and won’t give up on him.  He has a slightly irreverent attitude, which I tend to have as well, as he makes fun of his uncle.  But he cares about the people in his life and enjoys being the consummate host.”

Even though Armand is Jewish, he finds the message of A Christmas Carol to be universal:  “It is a play about redemption and repentance.  We find ourselves rooting for Scrooge as he is given the chance to examine his life and see how and where it went astray.  Scrooge is given a unique chance to change how he lives his present life and thanks to a glimpse of his possible future, change the dire outcome that could befall him.  We are shown that it’s never too late to change ourselves for the better.”

Opening weekend was a great success, so remaining tickets (through December 18^th) are selling fast.  Buy yours today at www.farmingtonplayers.org or call the box office at 248-553-2955. Find us on Facebook under "Farmington Players".