FLATBUSH — Marla Hirokawa’s dream has finally become reality. “Charles’ Carol” — the vision of artistic director and founder of Covenant Ballet Theatre (CBT) Hirokawa — premiered the evening of Saturday, Nov. 16, at Brooklyn College’s Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts.
“Charles,” a unique spin on the Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella, “A Christmas Carol,” the story of elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation into a kinder, gentler man after visits from the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, is in the context of Dickens’ own childhood poverty that shaped his empathy for the poor, according to Hirokawa.
“It’s been over a year since I’ve been considering doing a take on ‘A Christmas Carol,’” Hirokawa told the Brooklyn Eagle. “The ballet begins and ends on Dickens, whose childhood experience as a young boy, impoverished and one of many child laborers, becomes the motivation for his writing of ‘Carol.’ Time — past, present and future — also play an important role in the ballet as in the book,” she said.
The creative dream realized
The performance is a little over an hour with no intermission and consists of 24 students and 10 professional dancers. The ballet was flawlessly executed and extremely professional. The chemistry of the actors, many of whom played dual roles, was undeniable.
Darwin Black was a standout as Ebenezer Scrooge,…
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