There are numerous versions of Charles Dickens’ beloved tale “A Christmas Carol” out there. It’s a timeless story, really; we never tire of watching Ebenezer Screwed - I mean, Scrooge- get scared out of his mind by a couple of spirits until he understands the meaning of Christmas. Ah, joy. Recently I had the chance to watch Theatre Northwest’s brand-new spin on A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Heather Davies; I was not disappointed in the slightest.
The show starts out in the future, with Scrooge and his family and friends all gathered round on Christmas evening and ask Scrooge to regale them with the story of how he came to join them in their festivities. And so the adventure begins.
It is charming, energetic, humorous at times; (“What’s that upon your cheek?” The Ghost of Christmas Past says when she watches Scrooge cry. “A pimple,” he replies dismissively, wiping it away.) and made my otherwise cold and deadened soul feel the full range of emotion over the course of two hours. It had everything I wanted in any rendition of the Christmas Carol and more; I loved the steampunk elements (a unique Theatre Northwest twist!), I loved the acting (some great local work), the singing (Christmas music sung well is my favourite), the special effects (they really did make it look magical), and the costumes (wardrobe department was very on point with the Ghosts).
I was so very impressed by the production; it was clear that an enormous amount of work was put into it. I recommend this show to anyone and everyone who loves the holidays (and if you don't love the holidays maybe this is just the thing you need.). If you think you’ve seen everything when it comes to this classic story, think again. Theatre Northwest delivers a fresh take, and I personally left the show humming “Joy to the World” under my breath, so that probably tells you what kind of mood it put me in.
The show runs until December 9 only, and tickets run out fast. I highly advise you to go to their website (theatrenorthwest.com) and book a ticket for you and your family/friends as soon as possible. This is one rendition of A Christmas Carol you definitely don’t want to miss!