You shall be visited by three ghosts, Ebenezer! When the clock strikes one— The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jude Mahoney.) When the clock strikes two— The Ghost of Christmas Present (B. Thomas Rinaldi.) When they clock strikes three— The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be! (Ashley Merrill.) And we may be crazy trying to visit with all three of these ghosts all at once, but what’s Christmas without a little crazy?

We’ve got you gathered here and the clock hasn’t even struck one, two, and three yet! Thanks so much for coming out here and chatting with me! Why don’t we do a quick round of intros and remind me and the readers who and what you’re playing!

Jude Mahoney: I’m Jude. And I play The Ghost of Christmas Past. And also the Lamplighter.

Ashely Merrill: I’m Ashley and I play The Ghost of Christmas Future and Mrs. Fezziwig and Scrooge’s Mom. And the Blind Old Hag.

That’s a lot! And Tommy?

Thomas Rinaldi: I’m playing The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Sandwich Board Man. He’s a barker for the theatre.

Now I know we’ve all had some stage experience, I’ve seen you all on many stages over the years. Though wait, Ashley, I’m making an assumption here because I don’t think I’ve actually seen you on a stage. You have stage experience?

Ashley: Yes. Back in high school. And a play or two with Sarah here or there. But this is my first time doing Christmas Carol.

Jude: Mine too. First time. But my Dad’s done it before. (Bobby Mahoney, playing Ebenezer Scrooge.)

Tommy: I’ve directed Scrooge 13 times. I’ve been in A Christmas Carol at Fells Point Corner Theatre many, many years ago. I played Fezziwig and Ghost of Christmas Present again. I did another version of it for Pumpkin Theatre some while ago too. So this is my…I don’t know…15^th time working with it? But I was so busy doing Scrooge that I somehow missed A Christmas Story, I didn’t even know. So then I got to do that somewhere in there, I played the father, and I think I knew about this version— the one that we’re doing that Keley Grammer popularized with his made-for-tv-movie version? So when she called me (Director Sarah O’Hara) and asked me if wanted to play a ghost, I was already in Scrooge-mode, which I had to then jettison, because this is all new.

What an exciting jettison! Why did everyone else come out for this?

Ashley: Well my twin sister (Director Sarah O’Hara) was directing and she said come and audition for it. I sent her an audition tape.

Tommy: Ashley also happens to have an incredible mezzo-soprano voice. You know, just by coincidence.

Ashley: Oh my gosh, thank you.

Jude: And obviously my father is playing Scrooge. But I have a whole story behind this! On the day of auditions, I found out that my Dad was auditioning for Christmas Carol. He’s played Jacob Marley in the past…in 2008. I forget the theatre but it was a long time ago. It was probably one or two hours before the audition and I made up my mind and decided that I also wanted to audition. I auditioned and here I am.

Ashley: Sarah said you had a great audition. She called me and said, “…there was a kid who tried out that had a beautiful voice that sang a Glee song.” Was that you, Jude?

Jude: Yes it was. For auditions I sang the Glee version of “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”

Ashley: She told me it was absolutely beautiful. And she also told me about Tommy. That I would love him and he would bring happiness.

Tommy brings happiness everywhere he goes. And can confirm— Jude does have a gorgeous, beautiful voice. I’ve heard it many, many times before. This is fantastic. So now that we all know why you’re here, what is your favorite version of A Christmas Carol?

Jude: I haven’t watched many versions of Christmas Carol but I have listened to the original Madison Square Garden version, but I do believe that the Kelsey Grammer version is better than the Madison Square Garden version…but that is just my opinion.

And that is absolutely allowed to be your opinion!

Ashley: Does it have to be a stage musical? Because I love The Muppets.

SAME!!! And technically The Muppets Christmas Carol is a musical in its own right.

Ashley: I just love the Muppets.

Tommy: Yes. The Muppets version is quite good, I’d love to stage it, I think that would be quite wonderful. And there’s a stack of videos that I have at my house that’s longer than my arm of all the different versions of Christmas Carol but for me, I’m going to say it’s the Alastair Sim’s version. That is my favorite because it really goes back to the original Dickens. It really influenced me over my decade of Scrooge at Spotlighters Theatre, working for Audrey Herman. They use a lot of the Dickens original language and I really love that.

What is your favorite song from this version of A Christmas Carol?

Jude: That is a really a tough question. I think it’s a really close call for me and it’s a surprising answer, but I’m going to say “Fezziwig’s” because it’s really fun an upbeat. Though “Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today” is a really emotional piece and that just gets me every time.

What about you, Ashley?

Ashley: I agree. With both of those. As I’m sitting here running through the songs in my head, those are the two that popped up first.

Tommy: For me, I think it’s the one that the children sing— “let the stars in the sky remind of us men’s compassion…” (officially listed as “God Bless Us Every One.”) That’s the one that really gets me. And I’m very partial to the choral stuff. I’m an old choral guy, I’ve done 35 years of choral singing. So whenever there’s soprano, bass, tenor, altos singing together, I really love that. The harken song that shows up at the beginning and at the end— though the lyrics change from “…harken while you may because Christmas day is near…” to “harken while you may because Christmas Day is here…”

If you could be anyone in this show, regardless of age, seasoned-talent, vocal capability, other factors that might preclude you from being the character of your choice, who would you be and why?

Jude: I would actually like to be Mr. Fezziwig because like I said with the favorite song question, “Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Ball” is just so upbeat and lively and from what I heard about my Dad’s production back in 2008, they got to do a polka with that number. And I love dancing a polka.

That is fantastic. I don’t think I know any 11-soon-to-be-12-year-olds that love dancing a polka. That makes my heart want to dance a polka. What about you, Ashley? Write your ticket, any character.

Ashley: Any? Any of the characters. That’s the whole answer. I want to be any of them. I love Christmas. Sarah even asked me who I was interested in auditioning for and I said “I don’t care.” Anyone in this show would have made me happy. And here I am as Mrs. Fezziwig, Blind Old Hag, and Ghost of Christmas Future. And also Scrooge’s Mom, who sings “God Bless Us Every One.”

Tommy? You’ve done it a million times…who are you being?

Tommy: Well, one performance of Scrooge back in 19…some while ago… Jacob Marley didn’t show up. I wasn’t in the show, I was directing the show. And here it is a quarter til showtime and he’s nowhere to be found and he’s the first ghost we see. So I had to go on for Jacob Marley. And that was really kind of cool. I’ve played Fezziwig before and that’s incredibly fun. I have played this specific ghost part before too. This is my second time being Ghost of Christmas Present. I love this ghost in The Muppet version, especially how his red hair turns gray as he fades away…I’m really trying to figure out a way for us to do that here with this production. But I think I would love to play The Ghost of Christmas Future on drywall stilts. Then he would be 11-feet tall.

Ashley: You know, I asked Sarah if I could use stilts. I was asking as a joke.

I think here in the magic shoebox where the overhead of the stage is maybe eight feet in total…stilts, unless they’re Moon Shoes from my childhood…might put The Ghost of Christmas Future on the roof. Or through it. Now, do you guys have a favorite Christmas movie? It does not have to be some version of A Christmas Carol, I just want to know what’s the one movie that you have to watch every year at this time or it simply isn’t Christmas for you?

Jude: Oh that is going to be a very tough one! So yesterday, for the very first time, I watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

Tommy: Ah, yes. A true Christmas classic!

Jude: I loved it! It’s so hilarious!

Ashley: That was the first time you’d ever watched it?

Jude: Yes! And I love it! That might be one of my new favorites. But also A Christmas Story holds a very special place in my heart. And also Elf, which is a 2000’s classic. And I’ve done Christmas Story and I’ve done Elf on stage. (Christmas Story Christmas of 2022 with Tidewater Players, Jude played Ralphie Parker and his father Bobby Mahony played the narrative figure of Jean Shepherd; Elf Christmas of 2023 with Tidewater Players, Jude played son Michael Hobbs and his father Bobby played grumpy-dad Walter Hobbs.) And now Christmas Carol might be getting close that I’ve done it too. But I still think my favorite movie is probably Christmas Story though maybe now National Lampoons.

Ashley: I would say Meet Me in St. Louis and In The Good Old Summertime, which doesn’t sound like a Christmas movie, but it is.

Well…Die Hard doesn’t sound like a Christmas movie either.

Jude: I’m going to object to that. Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

But it takes place at Christmas. On Christmas Eve in fact.

Jude: But it doesn’t revolve around Christmas!

I cannot believe these words are about to come out of my mouth, but neither does It’s a Wonderful Life, which is my all-time favorite Christmas movie. If you actually watch the movie, it’s really just Christmas Eve where our story starts and ends and yes the meaning of kindness, love, and joy is all Christmas-y…it’s only a ‘Christmas Movie’ because we’ve made it one. Just like Die Hard.

Ashley: Back to Meet Me In St. Louis, you know “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is from that. Judy Garland is in them both. I love both of them, I grew up watching those kind of classic Christmas movies, watching those with Sarah. You know we did a lot of theatre together in high school. She continued doing community theatre and local theatre after high school and I just kind of didn’t.

You took a break and that’s okay.

Ashley: I took a long break. But as I’m thinking about this now, I was in Little Shop of Horrors with Just Off Broadway. I played one of the Urchins. And I also did some kind of Christmas show with them too. Anything where Sarah says “can you come help build a set?” or “Do you want to come step into this show to help us out?” I’ve done all of those. Now, Little Shop of Horrors I did without her, but then she came and pulled curtains for that show. But that was really the only show where I had stepped out of my zone and decided to do a show. Otherwise, everything I’ve been in was with her or back in high school.

I love that family-togetherness you’ve got going on there. I now cannot remember what the question was…

Jude: Favorite Christmas movie!

Oh yes! Thank you, Jude! Who hasn’t answered— Tommy! What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

Tommy: Besides the stack of Christmas Carols and Black Adders that I have, I’m going to have to say, hands down, my favorite Christmas movie is The Bishop’s Wife.

Ashley: Oh yay!

Tommy: It’s incredible. It’s Carey Grant and David Niven. **

What’s your favorite Christmas Cookie?

Jude: I’m always a fan of the classics. Sugar cookies, chocolate chip, I think those might be my favorites. Oatmeal raisins are okay but they are not as good as sugar cookies.

Do you have a favorite food that is not a Christmas cookie?

Jude: I don’t think so.

Ashley: Instead of cookie, I’m going with Peppermint Hot Chocolate. And if there’s coffee in there that’s cool too. Peppermint Hot Chocolate or Mocha. And I would say my favorite Christmas food would be my Aunt Joyce’s cheesy grits. Wait— I shouldn’t say cheesy grits because I don’t know if there’s cheese in it. We’re just going to say Aunt Joyce’s grits.

Do you have a Christmas cookie favorite, Tommy?

Tommy: I’m going to have to go with the peanut butter with the Hershey’s kiss smashed in it.

That’s exactly what Steve said! And we learned they’re called Peanut Butter Blossoms. Now do you have a favorite Christmas food?

Tommy: Two-bite oysters. Gigantic, Christmas oysters.

Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition?

Jude: I think my favorite Christmas tradition is more of a recent one that we’ve started doing with my family. Every year we go to my Aunt’s house for Christmas. And we have this game we play. It’s a huge ball of bubble-wrap with all these presents inside and we try to unravel it. Someone else is rolling dice while you’re trying to unwarp it— it’s so much fun!

Oh my gosh! I played that game for the very first time last Christmas, we played it at my sister’s house. Only she used plastic-wrap instead of bubble-wrap. It was so much fun. In the very center of the ball there’s a ‘bigger prize’ along with all the other prizes that fall off as you’re unwrapping it. And the ‘big prize’ in the center of the ball that my sister made was this teeny tiny little stocking. And inside the teeny tiny stocking was the family picture of my family from that year’s Thanksgiving that I mail around to the family every year with our Christmas cards…and she had drawn a little arrow on the picture pointing to her belly and on the arrow she had written ‘eight weeks pregnant here.’ And that was how my sister announced to us on Christmas day that she was expecting her very first baby. And he was born this past June (June 15^th 2024), my first nephew. I love that you also play that game, Jude! Sorry, now I’ve derailed us!! Ashley, what’s your favorite Christmas tradition?

Ashley: On my mom’s side it would probably be just singing carols all the time. My father had a Christmas Ladder that we used to decorate because he refused to spend money on a tree. He would pull out his ladder and we’d put tinfoil on it to make it shinier, then we’d put decorations on it, and then we’d hang a hammer on the top. Sarah and I actually wrote a song about it too when we were growing up. We did the ladder for years and years with my father. It was an actual A-frame. It was pretty hilarious, I’m not going to lie.

Tommy: I’m 60 years old now and Christmas has changed many times over. When I was little, it was Christmas Eve at my mom’s and then we’d go to my Grandmother’s house on Christmas day for the first 37 years. And there’s tons of stories and traditions there. Then I got married and had kids and now they’re grown and my marriage ended. So those things have gone by too. But what still remains, the one tradition that I’ve been able to maintain is going down to 34^th Street in Hampden and looking at the block. That one block where everybody on either side of the street goes all out. It’s unbelievable. The whole block decorates. It’s become somewhat more of a tourist trap now, they have food trucks and stuff now, but I do it every year and walk around and look at the lights. Occasionally I can get my adult kids to come out and do it too.

Ashley: I forgot to add one more thing! The chaos of Christmas morning that is me as an adult. I gave you my ‘growing up’ tradition. My mom has eight kids so there are a lot of grandbabies. I have a lot of nieces and nephews. I don’t have children but Sarah does. It’s chaos. We just all open presents at the same time. I don’t know if you all take turns?

It sounds like if you guys took turns it would be a four-day event!

Ashley: Pretty much. People are just tossing presents around, tossing up wrapping paper, screaming at each other. It’s wild. Did you guys take turns?

Tommy: Well we had two different Christmases really because there was Christmas at my mom’s house and Christmas at my grandmom’s house. They had different rules. At mom’s house, my stepfather would hand out presents one at a time. By the time we got to my grandmother’s house, most of the Christmas was already done except for us. So we would sort of do it all at once. So both I guess?

Jude: There’s only two kids in our family Christmas. Me and my cousin Brooke and she’s a junior in high school now. So we usually take turns in some kind of weird way, because it’s happening all at once but also taking turns? I don’t know how to explain it.

I get it. In my family, of course this year will be the first with a very tiny child since we were all kids, but we sort of do that ‘all-at-once-but-still-take-turns’ kinda way. Do you have a favorite ornament that you put up on your Christmas tree?

Jude: Oh that is really tough. I have a lot of Christmas ornaments from a lot of past shows I’ve done. When I was little I was a huge fan of Mario. I was obsessed. We almost always put up the Star with the little eyes— that I had when I was little— the Mario star. So probably that one.

Ashley: I have a couple of twin ornaments where Sarah has one and I have the other. Like Baby-Booties and Baby’s first Christmas— we each have a bootie, we each have a ball. The old ones are the best but I also collect ornaments for different shows and where I go on vacation and stuff.

Tommy: I was nine years old. It was my first Christmas with just my mother and the four boys. The divorce was final, so it was our first Christmas with just mom and us. She had me make a star. “Draw a star, draw a star” she said. I just drew one real fast, she cut it out on the cardboard, covered it with glue, put tinsel on it, poked a cherub through it, and it was our topper for years and years and years. Finally, she repurposed it, and took off the cherub, she put it under glass in a frame. I now have it on my wall at my house. It’s still there.

Ashley: Oh that makes me wish I still had mine. Sarah and I had our first apartment together and our Christmas tree star was aluminum foil. We made one out of aluminum foil, we had it for a couple of years, but now I don’t know where it’s at.

Tommy: Those are the best, the ones you make.

Ashley: And foil is sparkly!

What’s your favorite Christmas song that’s not in this show?

Jude: There are so many! I would say “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” always has a special place in my heart. But more recently, I think more of the classics. Like “Holly Jolly Christmas” and all of those.

Ashley: I need to think about that.

Tommy: You keep thinking. I know mine. It’s going to be a cross between “I Like Life” from Scrooge and Clarice’s song in Rudolph The Red-Nose Reindeer, “There’s Always Tomorrow.”

Oh my gosh! I love that song! That is super sweet!

Tommy: I find my strength in both of those songs, but I’m going to add a third, since Ashley is still thinking. It’s from It’s a Wonderful Life— and it’s not really Christmas-y, and it’s— “Buffalo Gals Won’t You Come Out Tonight!”***

Ashley: Oh my gosh, that was wild!

Jude: Can I add another one? And this is going to be a little bit basic but— “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” ****

Ashley, did you pick a song yet?

Ashley: Yes! I’m going with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Judy Garland. And I also love “Merry Christmas” from In The Good Old Summer Time, so basically two songs from my two favorite movies. But also any sort of crooners in general doing Christmas songs. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, all of that—

Tommy: “The Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie.

Jude: Harry Connick Jr. is one of the more recent crooners who does amazing Christmas music.

Tommy: And for $30,000, he will show up and sing at your Christmas Party.

Now if only we all had $30,000 to spend on Harry Connick Jr. Why do you want people to come out and see A Christmas Carol here at Tidewater Players?

Jude: I feel like so many people have put so much effort into it and it would be so sad if their efforts went to waste because nobody came out to see it. So come see Christmas Carol!

What Jude said. Ashley?

Ashley: I would like people to come see Christmas Carol because Christmas Carol makes your heart happy.

Tommy: Yeah you’ve got to come and see Tiny Tim live.

Spoilers!

Tommy: Spoiler alert! He lives! Spoiler alert— he survives! But only if Scrooge learns his lesson.

Ashley: Also, come see the show to see a lot of people having a lot of fun. Sarah has asked me to be in thing or help her with things before and usually there’s a little bit of stress involved. Or there’s people having their ‘theatre cliques.’ But here it’s just a bunch of people getting together and having fun and having a good time. It’s very refreshing, lovely, and Christmasy.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Jude: Christmas, I would say for a lot of kids, is about the presents. But I just like connecting with the people that I love. It’s just a wonderful time of the year. Unlike Scrooge, I am probably one of the biggest Christmas lovers you will find.

Ashley: I just realized we’re the Ghosts.

Tommy: Yes. Yes we are.

Ashley: And that’s why we’re sitting here together. Because we’re the Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future. I didn’t realize that— I drove for an hour and a half through traffic to get here for rehearsal, jumped right in here, and was like ‘huh, this is an interesting group to be interviewed with’ and I just now realized it’s because we’re the Ghosts! I’ve shaken the traffic-haze off at the end of the interview— what was the question again?

I love this so much. This is making me chuckle warmly, like an elf. The question was “what does Christmas mean to you?”

Ashley: Christmas to me is about family. Is about music. Is about decorations. But it’s about happiness. Use this or don’t— but we grew up poor. Our families were really big and it didn’t matter what was happening throughout the year, our Christmas was always great. We always made decorations, it didn’t matter from what. We always sang, it didn’t matter what it was. We always had a tree and at my dad’s we had a ladder. They always made it work. It was always magical and happiness. And it’s continued. I’m blessed as an adult, but it’s just as good now as it was back then.

I love that and I feel you on that.

Tommy: Memories. Christmas means memories. Watching my grandmother cook Christmas Day dinner for 30 people for 37 years. Most of those people are gone now, but this time of year I always dream about my Grandfather too. I like the idea, and I think it was Maya Angelou that said it, but something along the lines of “wherever you go, you take your people with you.” Anyone who ever loved you, you don’t leave anybody behind, you take them all with you. So they’re all here with me now. All of my grandfather’s brothers and wives and children— and those of us still living are all spread out and we don’t get together anymore, and my grown-up children are all spread out, they don’t really need me anymore, but I think that’s why I love Christmas. It makes me live.

If you had to sum up your experience here at Tidewater Players with A Christmas Carol using just one word, which word do you use?

Jude: Family.

Ashley: I can’t use the same word! Um— lighthearted.

Tommy: Joy.

A Christmas Carol plays November 15^th 2024 through November 24^th 2024 with Tidewater Players in residence at the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.

To read the holly-jolly interview with Director Sarah O’Hara, click here.

To read the holly-jolly interview with Elliot Lookingland, playing Tiny Tim, click here.

To read the holly-jolly interview with Flick, playing The Ghost of Jacob Marley, click here.

 

**the interview derailed for about 17 minutes wherein Tommy and Ashley discussed in depth The Bishops Wife, mostly Tommy detailing and outlining the plot while Ashley searched for the name of the actress that played opposite of Carey Grant and David Niven, and there was some discussion about how to say the word Perambulator. Jude and Mandy just listened to this for the most part. And while entertaining, for time’s sake, it has been cut from the transcript of this interview. Tommy’s main point is “WATCH THE BISHOP’S WIFE.”

 

***Tommy and Mandy burst into song (which does not translate well in print) and sang the whole song like George and Mary from It’s a Wonderful Life, while Ashley continued to think and Jude laughed and smiled.

****Jude also burst into song, singing half the song, giving Mariah Carey a run for her money. With Ashley and Mandy providing low-key backing vocals. Tommy then changed the song and started belting “I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas” and the tape became four minutes of sing-a-longs.