SOUTH SALT LAKE — “A Christmas Carol” isn’t just a part of Christmas for the Wilkins family, it’s the foundation of the season.
“It’s one of those things that has been at the heart of my family’s experience and Christmases from as long as I can remember,” Brinton Wilkins said.
Wilkins has played just about every part in the stage version of “A Christmas Carol” — except Tiny Tim — but this year he will be performing a role his father portrayed for almost three decades: the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge.
Richard Wilkins first played Scrooge in 1984 at the original Hale Center Theatre. He reprised the role every year for 26 years before he died in 2012 while preparing for his 27th year. About 20 years ago, he and his wife Melany revised and wrote the “A Christmas Carol” stage adaptation that the Hale Center Theatre in Sandy uses to this day.
“My whole family, ‘Christmas Carol’ was Christmas every year for everybody. We were all in it with Dad,” Brinton Wilkins said.
Brinton Wilkins said it’s intimidating to take on the part of Scrooge as his father was so associated with it for so long.
“I am 14 years older than he was when he started (playing Scrooge). It’s really difficult for me at times to divorce myself from his interpretation and to do something new that is my own,” he said.
Brinton Wilkins decided to make a few moments in the performance an homage to his father by portraying it the same way his father did while also leaving room for his own artistic choices.
“It’s an honor. I love my dad, I miss my dad. It’s a way to connect with him,” he said.
Brinton Wilkins said he thinks his dad would be thrilled knowing he is fulfilling the Scrooge role. Wilkins said his father loved all things “A Christmas Carol,” collecting memorabilia, buying special editions of the book and seeing as many productions of the show as possible.
“My dad was a very expressive, passionate person, and I am sure he would just be giddy to see that this tradition is continuing through his family,” he said.
The first time Brinton Wilkins was in “A Christmas Carol” with his dad, he played the role of Turkey Boy. This year, his 9-year-old daughter will be playing the Turkey Boy, and his sons are part of the backstage crew.
“I get to act against my daughter in the same way that I acted against my dad in the same part. So that’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s great to have my family there again.”
When Brinton Wilkins told his mother he was playing the part of Scrooge, she immediately asked if he wanted to use his dad’s dressing gown he used in the show.
“When I go onstage, not only do I get to do a part that my dad played for so many years, but I actually get to wear a part of his costume, and that is really meaningful and wonderful for me,” he said.
A spiritual experience
For about 15 of the 26 years Richard Wilkins played Scrooge, Brad Charon acted against him in the role of Bob Cratchit.
“It’s just become a deep-rooted part of our family and family tradition … it’s a very ingrained part of our family at this point,” Charon’s son Lucas said.
Continuing the Wilkins and Charon legacy, Lucas Charon will play the role of Bob against Brinton Wilkins’ Scrooge. Lucas Charon said he also is trying to continue the tradition without making a copycat of his father but finding the role in himself.
“I had been in ‘Christmas Carol’ with (Brinton’s) dad when I was younger (when) my dad was in it. Being able to do this with Brinton is a very spiritual experience because of the deep connection we both have with our dads,” Lucas Charon said.
He said his dad was excited learning he would be playing the role he often did. His father retired from the stage several years ago, but his final show was “A Christmas Carol” because Bob Cratchit was the perfect part for him.
“Bob Cratchit is such an important part of Scrooge’s transformation. He is the example of who we all should be — he’s constantly forgiving, he’s constantly understanding … he understands there is something deeper to Scrooge. ‘Christmas Carol’ as a whole, but especially this character, is an opportunity to show people the better version of themselves that they can be, even though it’s hard and takes some humility,” Lucas Charon said.
“A Christmas Carol” shows that no matter how horrible you think you are, there is always a way back, and you can always change to make world a better place, Lucas Charon said. It’s a story about not giving up and of looking to the future and finding hope in what you can become, he added.
Brinton Wilkins said “A Christmas Carol” is a still relevant today as a story of redemption with a lot of layers. The story warns people of ignorance and the dangers of not caring for others.
“We still struggle with ignorance, whether it’s understanding our neighbor, understanding the person down the street, understanding what anybody who isn’t like us believes and feels,” Brinton Wilkins said. “We are still struggling with a lot of the same ills Charles Dickens was writing about: poverty, loneliness, all the things that tear us apart because we aren’t helping each other, and I think that’s a message that is universal and timeless.”
Performances of “A Christmas Carol” at the Parker Theatre start Saturday.
