A Christmas Carol has always had a special place in our hearts. Years before we even thought of acting in it, we collected editions of the book, versions of the movie, and went to see several productions of it at Actor’s Theater of Louisville. Our first two cats were named Fezziwig and Marley. This is David’s fourth Christmas Carol and Cathy’s fifth. Each production brings a unique set of challenges: the varying number of Cratchit children (there were seven one year!); new tiny Tims (they grow up), and a different Scrooge each year. One of the things we enjoy most about being the Cratchits is that we are acting against type: Bob Cratchit is nicer than David, and Cathy is much nicer than Mrs. Cratchit. Also, we don’t have children in real life. Being married in real life means that we don’t have to pretend to have a relationship on stage. When told that we were husband and wife both on and off stage, Gavin Milligan, this year’s Tiny Tim, asked Cathy, “Does Mrs. MaryBeth know?” We assured him that she did. We also portray the Fezziwigs. Fezziwig’s Ball is the only time you will ever see the Ardreys dancing, either on or off stage! We appreciate the opportunities Charleston Stage has given us to perform together. We have enjoyed it greatly.
(The Cratchit Family)