Stage Review - The Past, a Present Yet to Come (Burien Actors Theatre)
Stage Review - The Past, a Present Yet to Come
Presented By: Burien Actors Theatre - Burien, WA
Show Run: November 28 - December 21, 2025
Date Reviewed: Friday, December 12, 2025
Run Time: 100 Minutes (no intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Have you ever crossed paths with someone and thought, that person could really benefit from being visited by a few ghosts? Funny enough, that exact thought crossed my mind this past Friday after an encounter with someone whose attitude felt in desperate need of adjustment. The premise of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is so deeply embedded in our cultural consciousness that it has become the blueprint for stories about transformation—the selfish learning generosity, the closed-off discovering compassion, the hardened finding their way back to humanity. So imagine my surprise when, later that same day, I found myself at the Kennedy Catholic High School Little Theatre for Burien Actors Theatre’s production of The Past, a Present Yet to Come, directed by Adrian Cerrato and running through December 21. The irony was almost uncanny: a story about staging a version of A Christmas Carol in real life to force a moral reckoning, something I had half-jokingly suggested earlier without knowing a thing about the play I was about to see.
The Past, a Present Yet to Come functions as something of an origin story for Dickens’ immortal holiday tale. The play follows Fred, a young man determined to correct the selfish and miserly ways of his uncle, Ebenezer Scrooge, by orchestrating an elaborate theatrical deception—one modeled after a play he had previously seen on J.B. Roth’s stage. To bring the scheme to life, Fred enlists Roth’s help, who in turn suggests involving the playwright responsible for that very work: Charles Dickens himself. What unfolds is a meta-theatrical exploration of storytelling, morality, and the idea that sometimes people need to see their lives staged before them in order to truly understand who they are—and who they might yet become.
The performances in The Past, a Present Yet to Come are excellent across the board. John Dugaw, as Dickens, delivers a multi-faceted portrayal that captures both the man’s uncertainty and his brilliance. Dickens is nervous and unsure of himself in conversation, often hesitant with his words, but the moment he begins reciting or speaking about his work, that uncertainty falls away. John finds a confident, assured cadence in those moments, and the contrast is both funny and deeply human. His Dickens is humorous without being broad, earnest without being stiff, and the performance feels grounded in an understanding of the man rather than a mythologized version of him.
At the center of the production is Danielle Alexis Nicole Mitchell’s Fred, who carries the plot and serves as the connective tissue that holds the story together. Fred is enthusiastic to a fault—optimistic, persuasive, and relentless in his belief that people can change if shown the right version of themselves. He is the engine of the play, the character who pushes every other figure into motion, and Danielle provides a consistency that keeps the narrative focused even as scenes shift in tone and location. No matter where the story wanders, Fred’s objective is always clear, and Danielle ensures that throughline never frays. Beneath Fred’s salesman-like charm is a genuine sincerity, a belief in redemption that keeps the character from becoming grating and instead makes him compelling.
Opposite Danielle and John, Lauren Erwin offers a wonderful counterbalance as J.B. Roth. Lauren’s Roth is pragmatic, thoughtful, and grounded, providing a steady presence amid the surrounding enthusiasm. Where Fred and Dickens brim with ideas and urgency, Roth listens, weighs, and responds, becoming the production’s quiet anchor. The dynamic among the three creates a strong narrative triangle that drives the story forward and gives the piece its emotional shape.
Visually, the production is supported by a restrained but effective design. Eric Dickman’s set features a silhouetted London skyline that allows the action to move fluidly between rehearsal spaces, pub scenes, and moments of internal reflection. The design breaks the story into clear vignettes without requiring elaborate shifts, reinforcing the reflective structure of the play. That said, the sheer number of scenes and the physical transitions required between them occasionally slow the pacing. In several instances, pieces must be moved on or offstage in ways that take longer than the scenes that either precede or follow them, briefly interrupting the momentum just as the ensemble begins to build energy. Eric’s sound design is used sparingly and with intention, while Rob Falk’s lighting design plays a particularly effective role in moments involving the spirits, providing clear visual punctuation without overwhelming the intimacy of the space. Jester Kamps’ costumes situate the characters firmly in period, subtly evoking the season without leaning heavily into overt holiday iconography.
The Past, a Present Yet to Come is a story about the courage it takes to believe that people can change, even when all evidence suggests otherwise. That idea is carried by excellent performances across the board, with a cast that invests fully in the sincerity of the piece. While the production occasionally struggles with pace, particularly in its transitions, those moments never diminish the commitment or clarity of the storytelling. Through Fred’s unwavering optimism and the ensemble’s thoughtful work, Burien Actors Theatre offers a holiday production rooted in hope rather than nostalgia—a reminder that transformation often begins not with the person who needs to change, but with the one willing to insist that change is possible.
The Burien Actors Theatre production of The Past, a Present Yet to Come, is running on stage at the Kennedy Catholic High School Little Theatre through December 21. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://battheatre.org/.
Photo credit: Michael Brunk
