With a limp in his step and crutch in his hand, 11-year-old Matthew Bowland uttered the well-known phrase: "God bless us every one!"

It would his last turn as Tiny Tim, and the last time that the Toledo Repertoire Theatre performed A Christmas Carol on its stage. The year was 1989.

Since then the Rep’s annual show has grown into a grander production at the Valentine Theatre, while Bowland — like many Tiny Tims over the show’s 36-year run — has grown up, in his case to become a director for shows at the Rep and other area theater groups. But while many things have changed, he always cherished the memories of his time playing Tiny Tim on the Rep’s main stage with a cast that he recalls treated him like family.

But the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future appear to be working together this year for Bowland’s sake, what with his return to acting in the show for the first time since 1989, just as the production likewise returns for the first time since then to the Rep’s main stage. He won’t be playing Tiny Tim, of course, but instead will portray the character’s father, Bob Cratchit.

Bowland said he is grateful for this opportunity to return to the show — an opportunity that came about by chance and one that he almost turned down. He was approached to play his character a couple weeks into rehearsals for the musical after the original actor had to bow out of the show.

But he was hesitant to agree to doing the show. His father had recently passed away, and Bowland said he wasn’t sure he had the time or energy for it. It was his mother, Brenda, who talked him into it.

“My mom said she wanted me to do it, especially given the fact that it’s coming back to the 10th Street stage,” he said. “And it was a couple days later through tears that she told me that she’s happy to see me doing this because she was afraid that this holiday season would be sad and lonely without my dad, but that doing this has brought her joy and hope for this season because it was such an integral part of our lives back when I was a kid.

“It was literally impossible for me to say no because I felt like there were too many signs from the universe that this was supposed to happen,” he said. “But a lot of the reasons I’m doing this is in memory of my dad.”

This year’s performances follows last year’s live-show hiatus for A Christmas Carol because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the Rep’s show was offered as a virtual on-demand streaming production, where a small group of actors performed the smaller scenes while footage from past productions was used for the musical numbers. 

But the pandemic’s icy grips are still being felt this year. At the time of casting, it was decided to not allow anyone who wasn’t vaccinated to participate in this year’s show, which at the time meant no children under the age of 12 years old, because those vaccines weren’t yet available. This was done in part because of fears that halfway into production show organizers would be forced to cut the younger cast if coronavirus case counts worsened.  

That means this show will have a different feel to it, and not just because it’s being performed live on a smaller stage.

Bowland said this year’s Tiny Tim has been described more as a “Mid Tim,” because the actor portraying him is a not-so-small teen. Some cast members have had to play multiple roles to make up for the loss of cast members as well. For example, the Tiny Tim actor is also playing a young Scrooge. 

But Bowland believes the changes won’t take anything away from the show that has become a holiday tradition to watch for many in the community. The smaller stage makes for a more intimate show, he said, and the dynamic of having Tiny Tim look amazingly like a young Scrooge adds an interesting dynamic that works well for the story.

No matter the changes or circumstances, he said A Christmas Carol is still a must-see. 

“If this show has been a part of people’s holiday traditions in the past, and it wasn’t able to be a part of their tradition last year because of the pandemic, then I urge everybody to come out and see the show return to the 10th Street stage,” he said. “And if it’s never been part of someone’s holiday tradition, then what better time to start a holiday tradition than to see the Rep’s Christmas gift to the community, which is A Christmas Carol?” 

Showtimes for this week are 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well as 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Rep, 16 10th St., Toledo. Next weekend’s shows run 8 p.m. Dec. 9-11 and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 12. Tickets are  $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $20 for students. They can be purchased by calling 419-243-9277 or by going online at toledorep.org.

Upcoming shows:

 Midtown Men’s Holiday Show: 7 p.m. Sunday at the Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St., Toledo. 

 It’s a Wonderful Life: A Life Radio Play: 8 p.m. Dec. 10 and 18, 2 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Village Players Theatre, 2740 Upton Ave., Toledo. 

 A Christmas Carol: A Life Radio Play: 8 p.m. Dec. 11 and 17, 2 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Village Players Theatre.

 Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some): Dec. 10-12 and Dec. 17-19 at the Black Swamp Players’ theater, 115 E. Oak St., Bowling Green.

 Come From Away: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 4-6, 8 p.m. Jan. 7-8, and 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo.

 The Choir of Man: 8 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Valentine Theatre. 

 Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Valentine Theatre.

 The Legend of Georgia McBride: (times vary) Feb. 18-27 at the Rep.

 Waitress: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17, 8 p.m. Feb. 18-19, 2 p.m. Feb. 19, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Stranahan Theater. 

 The Simon and Garfunkel Story: 7:30 p.m. March 16 at the Stranahan Theater.

 Beautiful – The Carole King Musical: 7:30 p.m. March 17 at the Valentine Theatre.

 Our Town and Middletown: (times and show dates vary) March 24-27 at the Rep. 

Jeff Schmucker writes about theater for The Blade. Send news of theater and comedy events at least two weeks in advance to theater@theblade.com.

First Published December 2, 2021, 2:00 p.m.