Dorman Smith is such a scrooge.

And I mean that in the best way possible.

Last year, the Gilbert resident’s take on Ebenezer Scrooge for the Hale Centre Theatre’s beautiful, more traditional production of “A Christmas Carol” was a whimpering, near obnoxious thing.

But, taking a cue from his metamorphosing character, Smith’s rendition of that renowned 19th century Christmas curmudgeon has undergone development into something grander. (Thank actorly growth rather than a scared-straight Marley and his trio of spirit chums.) Smith is reinvigorated, his role is richer, and the redemption we wait to see by play’s end is so joyous, audiences can’t help but get swept up into it.

Much about the Hale’s sophomore mounting of “A Christmas Carol” improves on its predecessor: the choral numbers that intercut scenes are even more lush (though, as before, they do slow down the show’s otherwise lively pace) and the community actors — including E.V. favorites Jere Van Patten and Tamra Mathias — prove even more articulated under the keen direction of Hale impresario David Dietlein.

Dietlein even makes a grand melodramatic grab for the spotlight as both the ghost of Jacob Marley in the first act and a rather spooky — and intentionally hammy — undertaker in the second.

If there’s a fault in the Hale’s production, it comes from what’s already a pet-peeve of mine: the use of prerecorded music under dialogue to heighten the emotions of the scene. (Sure, it’s a cinematic device, but it’s rarely more than distracting on the theatrical stage.) Here, on opening weekend, the music swelled irritatingly, overpowering large chunks of the first act’s dialogue.

But that’s easily fixed — much easier to fix than Scrooge, who in this production seems to turn to the Dark Side at the point he is rejected by his girlfriend, Belle (played by Mathias), as a young man. Smith smartly navigates his ghostly path to redemption with glimpses of hope in all the places Dickens intended.

By the end, with Ebenezer whooping and hollering and hurling large turkeys at unsuspecting employees, every scroogy heart in the crowd is sure to be softer.