Jeff is Bob Crachit this theatre season

Sporting glue-on sideburns and a not-quite-Cockney accent, Jeff is currently playing a key supporting role in our community theatre's production of Scrooge: The Musical. Do you recognize him as the head of the impoverished but cheery Crachit family (including Tiny Tim with a crutch that Jeff crafted) in the photo above?

Yes, Jeff is Bob Crachit, humble clerk to mean ol' Mister Scrooge, and he made his Key City Public Theatre debut last Friday in this ambitious musical by Leslie Bricusse. That means he sings -- and he even has a few solo lines. A fellow cast member reported to Jeff that she overheard someone in the grocery check-out line say, "I'm going to see Scrooge so I can see Jeff Randall dance." Which he does, after a fashion, if you count the choreography of the Crachit family shrugging their shoulders in unison as they sing 'round the Christmas goose.

But Jeff's always been a dancer; that's no sweat. And he has no trouble conjuring tears for the tragic scene at the tombstone of Tiny Tim -- he just thinks of his own son succumbing to an early death, and has most viewers reaching for their kleenex. He'll tell you the voice training has been the most challenging aspect of this show. He's the lead tenor and has been studying his parts diligently for months now, with the aid of a new digital voice recorder.

For the record, I encouraged him to audition for the part this summer after I heard the director (a friend and fellow actor) say she was looking for a Bob Crachit who was "very likeable with a good voice." And Jeff had been thinking he'd like to try his hand at this acting thing I'm so fond of (I've been in two mainstage shows and a couple of readings), he was just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

Which means I've been putting Soren to bed myself quite often for the last month, and will continue to do so through closing night on Dec. 20. And I haven't even seen the show yet, although Soren and I attended some rehearsals and Jeff's parents were in the audience on opening night. I'll try to keep Soren awake through the Family Night performance on Dec. 9, then I'll go again that weekend while my parents are visiting (and seeing the show). Sister Nora will attend on closing night and watch Soren sleeping while I join Jeff at the cast party.

If you're a local, you won't want to miss this one. Get your tickets soon (info here), as many performances are already sold out.

The first review, in our local paper, is glowing. Leader Arts Editor Kathie Meyer says, "It was like having a really good seat at Seattle Repertory Theatre." Jeff is not called out specifically, but his photo accompanied the piece. Read it here.

"God bless us, every one!"