Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol

This holiday season the Portland theater company Public Playhouse takes the dick out of Dickens by rounding up an all female cast for their production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.
In this revisionist version of the yuletide staple, actor and playwright Tom Mula steals the spotlight from Ebenezer Scrooge and shines it on the chained ghost of Jacob Marley. Mula performed the show solo when it premiered in Chicago in 1998, and later he rewrote it as an ensemble piece for four actors.
In Public Playhouse’s girl power rendition, the company’s Executive Director, Jolin Milberg, stars as Jacob Marley, and pansexual actress Kate Mura plays the role of Scrooge.
In Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Mura said, “The focus turns to how Marley has to bring about Scrooge’s redemption. Now we know his backstory and why he needs Scrooge to be redeemed.”
Mura, 28, grew up in New Jersey and studied acting at DePaul University in Chicago. Rather than unleash yet another portrayal of Scrooge as a one-dimensional crotchety old man, she’s employing an acting technique called RasaBoxes. The technique – which is inspired by Hindu philosophy – allows actors to explore a wide range of emotional states when preparing for a role. “It gives me a broader palette to work with,” said Mura.
Mura is energetic and articulate, and she offered some engaging tales about her childhood and her sexuality. According to her mother she had her heart set on show business before she was even born. “When my mother was nine months pregnant,” she said, “my parents went to an opera. I kicked on different sides of the womb depending on whether the altos or sopranos were singing. My mom knew I’d be a performer.”
Growing up near Manhattan gave Mura an opportunity to see queer-themed plays like Falsettos and Angels in America at an early age. But of all things it was the animated film The Last Unicorn that inspired her to explore her sexuality to its fullest. “The prince says ‘I love whom I love,” Mura recalled, “and it helped me realize I could love people regardless of their sex or gender.”
Apart from her Portland acting credits – which include a recent role in 8 Views Toward Center by Integrity Productions – Mura has worked on sets and costumes for Third Rail Productions and Northwest Childrens Theater. In addition she recently acted in a local film called The Messiah Complex.

Public Playhouse presents Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, December 7-22, CoHo Theatre, 2257 N.W. Raleigh St., Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., $14-$16 ($10 on Thursday, Dec. 13).