by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers

The smallest actor on the stage might just steal the show.

Kailash Garcia-Delaney, 6, joins a 45-actor cast of teenagers in Eagan High School's production of "A Christmas Carol."

Grandson of Eagan High School faculty member Charlene Delaney, Kailash will deliver a solo rendition of "Silent Night" in his first major theatrical role."He's just gonna break the audience's heart," said director Nancy Owzarek, an English teacher at the school.

"A Christmas Carol" opens Dec. 13 at the high school and runs through Dec. 16.

Student actors are bringing a diversity of stage experience to the play.

On one end of the spectrum, there's 11th-grader Lauren Evans, playing the Ghost of Christmas Present. It's her first acting role, and she's more than a little excited.

"I'm so pumped, that's all I can say -- I'm just pumped," said Evans, whose first exposure to "A Christmas Carol" was the televised Muppets version she saw in grade school.

The Ghost of Christmas Present makes an extravagant entrance to the stage atop a yuletide throne, is bedecked with a lavish costume, and delivers lines in a playfully authoritative tone. Evans is loving every minute of rehearsals.

"It's a fun role to play," Evans said. "She's big, she's extravagant, she has a huge presence."

On the other end of the spectrum there's 11th-grader Paul Moench, who plays Scrooge. Moench has previously landed roles in "Camelot," "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" and "You Can't Take It With You," and Owzarek said she cast Moench as the lead in "A Christmas Carol" because of his versatility.

The actor playing Scrooge, after all, has to adopt the persona of an elderly male.

Playing the crotchety -- and rickety -- Scrooge has not been without its challenges, Moench said.

"It's really hard to stay in the role physically," Moench said. "As a 17-year-old I find it very difficult to [walk] as an old man -- I can't have the same energy."

Owzarek said she chose the Dickensian classic for Eagan High School's winter play because of its universal theme.

"I've always loved the show and the message of the show," she said. "There's two great stories of redemption in the Western canon of literature -- the story of Christ and the story of Scrooge."

Though most everyone is already familiar with the plot of "A Christmas Carol," this doesn't diminish the underlying message, Owzarek said.

"We're all familiar with the story of Scrooge, but because of that the audience can not just watch Scrooge's transformation, they can participate in his transformation," she said.

"All of Dickens' novels had this sort of biting commentary on the disparity between rich and poor. We're reminded that in a very affluent community like Eagan there are poor among us."

Eagan High School's production of "A Christmas Carol" is showing at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13-15 and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at the high school. A senior citizen preview is set for 3:30 p.m. Dec. 12. All seats are reserved -- contact the Eagan High School box office at (651) 683-6964.

Andrew Miller is at savage.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.