Kathy and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Minnesota (we left Friday afternoon at 1:30 and were back in Racine by 3:30 Saturday afternoon) to see my nephew Kaj onstage with the Commonweal Theater as Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” What a delightful experience this turned out to be. First of all, any chance Kathy and I have to get out of Dodge is cause for rejoicing, no matter what the destination. (It just doesn’t happen that often.) But when it involves getting together with someone from my rather far-flung family, it’s even better. And if it offers up the chance to see one of my nieces or nephews onstage, that’s a sweet bonus indeed.
First, a quick word about the theater where we saw Kaj perform – and its wonderful name. “Commonweal” means “the common good” (or close) and this small professional company was founded a couple of decades ago in the small town of Lanesboro, Minnesota – population 788. The theater is right downtown on main street, and its consistent excellence has drawn strong, loyal audiences year after year. I would roughly estimate that the theater holds about 125 people, so it’s a fairly intimate setting- and because its resources are far from limitless, the company has had to be rather innovative over the years- which makes what they do all the more compelling.
This production of “The Christmas Carol” was created by the Commonweal back in 1996 – and it is a very faithful yet imaginative adaption of the Dickens original. It’s done with a cast of five adults and two children, so obviously each actor (aside from the actor playing Scrooge) ends up playing multiple roles- on top of creating sound effects, moving props and scenery, and in general keeping the stage fully alive and vibrant from start to finish. And right in the center of it all was Kaj, who did an amazing job beyond being a precious, heart-rending Tiny Tim (which, after all, is a very small – though still utterly crucial – role.) Kaj was actually onstage almost every minute of the performance, and was responsible for far more than being adorable. And as far as we could tell, he carried off every single responsibility perfectly, from ringing handbells to singing carols to carrying props to simply watching and responding to all that was going on. We couldn’t have been prouder or more impressed.
The only mishap, if you want to call it that, came when Kaj made his initial entrance as Tiny Tim. As in most productions, he was carried onstage by his father, Bob Cratchit, which went fine- but when Kaj got off his dad’s shoulders and made his way across the room on his own, his crutch slipped out from under him and in the wink of an eye Kaj nearly went sprawling to the floor. I don’t know about the actors who were onstage with him at that moment (and who all dove for him in perfect, instantaneous unison) but I know for a fact that his Uncle Greg nearly suffered a heart attack at that moment. (I’m not kidding.) But Kaj was back up on his feet in an instant , beaming- just like the ever-positive Tiny Tim would have. . . and very quickly we all realized that in that unscripted mishap we had all experienced some extra theatrical magic. And it was reminder to me that Kaj is a bit of a Tiny Tim every day of his life. He has been saddled with deformities to both his hands and feet, and a couple of other health issues as well, but in meeting him you would never guess any of that to be the case. He is a joyous, loving, energetic little boy – and incredibly positive, too. We caught a glimpse of that the next morning at the hotel, when it was time for Kaj to get out of the swimming pool and get ready to leave. “Awww” Kaj said for about a second and a half- a sad little groan of disappointment that did not evolve into a greek drama, let alone a temper tantrum. Kaj knows a whole lot better than most children his age that we don’t get to write life’s script. Nor do we get to live a life without disappointment. But how much better it is to meet life’s disappointments and frustrations like the endearing Cratchit Family, who even in the midst of abject poverty find a way to be grateful . . . and happy.
This was actually a preview performance, complete with a talkback session afterwards in which the audience was asked to share their impressions of what they had just seen- with the understanding that any significant concerns or promising suggestions would be seriously considered and perhaps acted upon before the official opening one week later. It was very interesting to hear the director explain why he chose steam punk as the main visual style, how this particular script had been created by the Commonweal, and why they opted to have Scrooge be middle-aged rather than elderly. That last question was one of mine, and I loved the answer! They said that the original Dickens novel the references to Scrooge being old are not as much about his age as they are about his bitterness and selfishness. And isn’t Scrooge a far more tragic character if he is, in a sense, an “old man” in middle age? And isn’t it much more meaningful if at the end of the play, Scrooge can look forward to many more years of life that he will live with the spirit of Christmas in his heart?
Anyway, it was a fine performance that both Kathy and I thoroughly enjoyed – even apart from Kaj, who of course stole the show, in our entirely unbiased opinion. Afterwards was a reception where we got to meet some of the actors, and it was very evident that they had taken Kaj into their hearts and vice versa. It left us with a very good feeling indeed that Kaj suddenly had all of these vibrant, gifted, and kind-hearted adults in his life. After that, we all drove to La Crosse for a night at the Holiday Inn there. I’m not sure how it happened, but Kathy and I were so glad to have Kaj, Anna, and Aidan in the car with us, which gave us a golden opportunity to get caught up on what’s been going on in their lives. . . to listen to them sing songs that list all the presidents in order or all 50 states in alphabetical order . . . or to hear Kaj list his four favorite classes: P.E., Lunch, Going Home, and Recess. 🙂 It felt so good to be together- and in a very real way, it echoed the central message of the play. . . that what matters most in life is not our bank balance or if there are buildings named after us. What matters is loving and being loved. And by that measure, it was a blessed weekend indeed!
pictured at the top: my nephew Kaj. By the way, the headline of this blog entry comes from “A Christmas Carol”- but it’s a line in which Scrooge is not talking about Tiny Tim, but rather the little boy outside of Scrooge’s house who tells him that it’s Christmas Day and who is willing to run an errand for the suddenly generous Mr. Scrooge, fetching the huge turkey in the window of the butcher down the street. Kaj not only played the role of Tiny Tim, but also of that unnamed little boy.
pictured below: Other views of Kaj onstage – these are from a couple of delightful theatrical productions he appeared in as part of Decorah’s annual Nordic Fest. There’s also one shot of Kaj in the garb of a Nordic warrior.
