A Christmas Carol to entertain Ulsan

A mixed Korean and expat cast will perform “A Christmas Carol” in Ulsan this weekend.

Directed by Kerry Maher, the Charles Dickens classic will be performed by five adults doubling in the main roles and children from the local area and from Hyundai Foreign School, who will provide musical interludes as well as acting and dancing.

Maher adapted the play himself. Casting the children as carolers, he tried to ensure that the songs would be familiar to Koreans and used a song from a Korean drama to add another touch of local familiarity.

“We’re using one Korean song from a Korean drama just underscoring when Young Scrooge and Belle are breaking up. I decided to use an underscoring of ‘When the Love Falls’ (from the ‘Winter Sonata’ soundtrack), just trying to get a little touch of Korean culture in there.”

The biggest child role is Tiny Tim, played by a boy new to Korea as his parents have only been here for about two months.

“I was really glad they got involved because he’s this really sweet little 6-year-old kid ― a perfect Tiny Tim,” he said.

Maher was a theater major and then taught at a university in the United States while acting part time. Over about 20 years, he landed small roles in films starring actors like John Cusack and Sharon Stone.

But a desire for change brought him to Korea.

“I’d been teaching the same class for seven years and I was teaching public speaking, and I just got weary of hearing the same speeches thousands of times,” he said.

Maher has been in Korea for four years, and has acted in expat productions in Busan. When he was asked by the theater to direct a play for Christmas, he saw it as a chance to make a change.

“My mother died on Christmas day and for the last probably 20 years I’ve been pretty much a scrooge at Christmas, and I decided to turn that around and do something positive at Christmas rather than just think about that,” he said.

“So it was a transformation for me from being a grumpy Scrooge to doing something positive and fun.”

But while it may be the start of a more festive Christmastime for Maher, it isn’t a complete transformation: He is still playing Scrooge in the production.

The play will be performed on Friday at 8 p.m. and on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Dongrami Theater in Ulsan. Tickets are 15,000 won and reservations can be made by calling the theater at (052) 258-1248 or by writing to ulsanchristmascarol@gmail.com.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)