"Despite the Pandemic, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like 'Christmas Carol'"

 by Jerald Raymond Pierce

[For weeks now, I’ve been seeing television commercials for a solo performance of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol featuring Tony-winning actor Jefferson Mays channeling at least 50 characters.  As you’ll see from Jerald Raymond Pierce’s report “Despite the Pandemic, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like ‘Christmas Carol’” (American Theatre 3 Dec. 2020, https://www.americantheatre.org/2020/12/03/despite-the-pandemic-its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-christmas-carol/), posted below, Mays’s adaptation is just one of many renderings of the Dickens classic across the country during this pandemic-dominated holiday season. 

[(For more about Mays, see my report on “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” posted on Rick On Theater on 16 October 2014, and “The Front Page,” 16 November 2016; and the compilation “Jefferson Mays, Chameleonic Actor,” 31 October 2014.  AT also has a 2018 interview with Mays on his Dickensian production by Diep Tran, “Jefferson Mays Is Doing ‘A Christmas Carol,’ By Himself,” at https://www.americantheatre.org/2018/11/06/jefferson-mays-is-doing-a-christmas-carol-by-himself/.)

[Mays’s staging is a filmed version that began streaming worldwide beginning 28 November.  It was adapted by Mays and his wife Susan Lyons, and two-time Tony-nominee Michael Arden (Spring Awakening, Once On This Island), who also directed; Mays conceived the piece with Tony-nominee Dane Laffrey.  The production was filmed at New York City’s United Palace, a cultural and performing arts center in Washington Heights, and is based on the 2018 world première at Los Angeles’s Geffen Playhouse.

[At the time of his interview two years ago, long before the coronavirus made its devastating appearance, Mays declared:

I think [Christmas Carol] is probably the greatest secular humanist text ever written.  It’s particularly useful now to be reminded about things like charity and mercy and forbearance and benevolence and kindness and decency, and to ask the questions, “What makes a good life?  What is important in life?”  The basic human touchstones.  I think it’s useful to be reminded of them.

[How much more significant are all those issues now!  They apply not only while we’re suffering under the burdensome restrictions of COVID-19, but its threat to our health and lives—and, at the same time, we’re experiencing a rocky transition of political leadership that threatens our very governmental and social system. 

[That may be precisely why A Christmas Carol is such a popular holiday offering perennially—and why so many theaters around the country put in the often prodigious effort to bring the story to their audiences this year.  Here’s Pierce’s round-up of the innovative ways American theaters are meeting that perceived need.]

Amid the constraints of social distancing, perhaps more urgently because of them, many U.S. theatres are finding ways to bring audiences an annual dose of Dickens.

A tradition unlike any other. No, not the Masters, despite Jim Nantz’s claim to the trademarked phrase. Annually, theatres across the country mount renditions of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, a holiday production that can anchor a theatre financially, opening doors for bigger artistic risks in the rest of the season. But in the middle of a pandemic, when wallets are tight enough as it is, many theatres are keeping the tradition alive—less because of its potential box-office bounty than because, after nine months in a punishing pandemic, a story celebrating compassion and charity feels sorely needed. And after nearly a year of canceled performances, maintaining or reconstituting the connection between theatres and audiences doesn’t hurt either, even as some of the pain of this time is finding its way into some theatres’ adaptations.

“It’s a beloved tradition,” said Milwaukee Repertory Theater artistic director Mark Clements (he/him) of his theatre’s production, which brings in nearly 40,000 people annually. “People always call it a cash cow. It’s actually not as big of a cash cow as people think, but it’s an important stream of income. The tradition is very, very important in Milwaukee. It’s often the first live theatre experience outside of say children’s theatre that a lot of kids have access to.”

To keep Milwaukee Rep’s 46-year tradition of producing an Ebenezer Scrooge ghost story alive, the theatre had originally planned to present Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Tom Mula’s one-person adaptation, which follows Marley’s effort to redeem his former business partner, in front of a socially distanced live audience. But with the coronavirus showing no signs of slowing down, the theatre canceled live performances of the Clements-directed Mula adaptation, and did as many theatres have done this year: They shifted to a digital option.

The plan is now to record the Lee E. Ernst-starring one-person version of Carol. Clements, in an interview before the Thanksgiving holiday, joked that despite them being three weeks into rehearsal, he only ever saw Ernst’s eyes in the rehearsal room, due to mask safety measures. The production, which Clements said they were aiming at recording on stage on Dec. 5 with a soundscape from foley artist Dan Kazemi, will run Dec. 10-24 at $20 per household.

Milwaukee Rep is not alone in its need to cancel in-person plans, nor is it alone in offering a one-person adaptation in a year where human interaction onstage is more worrisome than jolly. In Staunton, Va., American Shakespeare Center was similarly faced with the reality of needing to cancel performances for an in-person audience [see my Rick On Theater reports on this company dated 18 and 21 Nov. 2009 and the NewsHour report posted on ROT on 18 Oct. 2020]. Their adjustment, though, has been to use a small ensemble who have been in a “work bubble” for a production that will stream live on Dec. 4 before being available on ASC’s streaming service BlkFrsTV.

The most notable of the one-person offerings is of course the version adapted by and starring Tony winner Jefferson Mays, which was released on Nov. 28 [see the ROT profile of Mays on 31 Oct. 2014]. With proceeds benefiting community and regional theatre impacted by COVID-19, theatres across the country have signed on to bring the production to their audiences, including Huntington Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, and more. 

For its part, Milwaukee Rep’s digital plans didn’t stop with the one Christmas Carol. As Clements explained, the theatre also wanted to make sure the show would be available for children, and to underrepresented areas of the city who would normally be able to see the production for free through Milwaukee Rep programming. So, through Dec. 24, Milwaukee Rep is offering its 2016 production of A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Clements, to view online for free for anyone looking for the large-cast iteration they know and love. 

Meanwhile, Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Ill., has also gone the double offering route with its Two Scrooges: A Christmas Carol, Two Ways. The first is a one-person show starring artistic director Michael Halberstam in his adaptation of A Christmas Carol, last seen onstage in 2008. The production, directed by Stanton Long, will run Dec. 8-Jan. 3, 2021, with tickets ranging $15-$50, depending on the number of viewers.

The second is a co-commissioned adaptation from Chicago’s Manual Cinema, Chicago’s acclaimed performance collective, known for their shadow puppetry and cinematic techniques. They don’t typically find themselves in a position to take on the classic Dickens tale, due to touring conflicts, according to Julia Miller (she/her), one of the company’s five co-artistic directors. This year, a combination of the constraints of the pandemic and the troupe’s love for The Muppet Christmas Carol opened the door for the company to try its hand, so to speak.

As Miller explained, Manual Cinema’s production has been created not to distract from the reality of pandemic limitations or shy away from Zoom fatigue, but to embrace the reality of how many families are gathering this year. Using Zoom as a frame, their undertaking follows the fictional Aunt Trudy as she attempts to perform A Christmas Carol, a task usually taken on by her partner, who died earlier in the year, over Zoom.

“We’re trying to speak directly to the fact that people can’t celebrate holidays this year together in the same way,” Miller explained. “She’s trying to carry on his memory and the tradition for the family, and then goes on her own Scrooge-like self-discovery of learning that family is important and connecting is important even though it’s not possible to do it in person. I hope people find a little comfort and a little connection through our adaptation of the show.”

Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, co-written by Miller and her co-artistic directors Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, and Kyle Vegter, with puppet design by Dir and Lizi Breit, is scheduled to run through Dec. 20, with ticket prices starting at $15. The production will be performed live from Manual Cinema’s studio, which posed a challenge for a group used to performing with five or six puppeteers and four or five musicians in close proximity. Working through safety procedures that include separating musicians from puppeteers from Aunt Trudy, each in their own individual corners of the space, Manual Cinema’s world premiere production will be presented all over the country through university and regional theatre co-commissioners and presenting partners.

Similarly not shying away from the Zoom realities of 2020 is Houston’s Alley Theatre, which is offering a virtual production of A Christmas Carol featuring actors who have filmed themselves in their homes with props, costumes, and equipment delivered to their door. This Doris Baizley adaptation follows a company of actors who, without their sets, attempt to tell a holiday story despite the circumstances. (The Cratchits [. . .] are all played by members of the same family, who’ve been “bubbling” together.)

As the situation evolved around the Alley’s production plans—seeing the anticipated Carol go from plans for socially distanced performances in a theatre to a virtual at-home reality—artistic director Rob Melrose (he/him) said the company worked with Baizley to adjust lines to adapt to the pandemic’s restrictions. Then, Melrose explained, managing director Dean Gladden had the idea to offer it as a free holiday gift to the Houston community and beyond.

“We already have 90,000 registrations for people to see it,” Melrose said in November. “It’s already going to be the most seen Alley production in our 74-year history.”

Additionally, Melrose said, this production is gearing up to be the Alley’s most accessible production in other ways, with subtitles translated into multiple languages. The free production will run Dec. 4-27. Melrose pointed out that one value of A Christmas Carol is that it asks and allows audience members to annually take stock in their lives and reflect on what they have.

“It’s a show that really makes you count your blessings and be grateful for the gift of life, the community you have, and the family you have around you,” said Melrose. “It makes sense why people come back to it year after year, and why it’s so particularly important this year.”

Many theatres are bringing that annual introspection directly into the home through digital offerings. Hartford Stage in Connecticut is bringing theatremakers and community neighbors together to create A Community Carol, to stream live for free on Dec. 17, followed by a four-day on-demand streaming period. Summoners Ensemble Theatre in New York City is working with the historic Merchant’s House Museum to stream a classic retelling of A Christmas Carol filmed in the storied city landmark. The Summoners Ensemble production will stream Dec. 18-24 for free, with a suggested donation of $30 for those able to give.

Those interested in something a little off the beaten path may be interested in People’s Light’s offering of A Christmas Carol in concert, featuring original music from Zak Berkman, carols, and readings from Dickens’ work, streaming Dec. 8-Jan. 3, 2021, with tickets starting at $25. Or, if extremely strapped for time but still jonesing for a holiday treat, NY Classical Theatre is presenting a reunion reading of A {15-Min!} Christmas Carol. Two actors, with the help of everything from puppets to wooden spoons, will tell the story of Scrooge, as adapted and directed by Stephen Burdman. The free production will stream Dec. 17-20. 

When artistic director Sarah Rasmussen (she/her) joined the McCarter Theatre Center in August, the conversation around Carol had already begun to shift away from in-person possibilities and to ideas of how the company could share the story with patrons at home. The thought of sharing the script for families to enjoy came up. But while some families might enjoy the DIY experience, the McCarter wondered if others would find the idea of having a full two-act play dropped in their laps during the holidays a bit overwhelming.

“I started to circle around the idea of an at-home ritual,” Rasmussen said, “where there’d be some abridged readings from this beloved story, but then also a way for people to engage with each other and really reflect on both the story and this extraordinarily challenging year.”

The result, Rasmussen explained, was to create something along the lines of A Christmas Carol meets a seder. The McCarter created gift boxes people could purchase that had abridged scripts, suggestions on doubling parts depending on the size of the family, and conversation cards that featured a Dickens quote on one side and a discussion prompt on the other. From there, families can allow their creativity to run wild with the story while simultaneously being able to reflect on meaningful questions.

“What we love about live performance is that something surprising can happen,” Rasmussen said. “I love the idea of people at home maybe seeing someone in their friends or family group acting who they wouldn’t expect to see acting, or hearing answers that might illuminate things about relationships. It’s really about gratitude and giving back to one’s community, and that feels very poignant in the winter of 2020.”

Rasmussen noted that not only have families bought these boxes for themselves, they’ve also had boxes shipped to family members so that far-flung relations can participate together over Zoom. The popularity of the McCarter’s A Christmas Carol @Home has resulted in a sell-out of available boxes by the early days of December. After all, Rasmussen said, in a year like this, many people are simply looking to create some sense of normalcy and a creative way to do that has been to find new ways to bring families together.

If a family is still itching to get out of the house for their dose of Dickens, some companies are turning to the drive-in for their winter tradition. In addition to its streaming option, American Shakespeare Center is offering a filmed performance as a drive-in movie presentation on Dec. 12 and Dec. 20 in Lexington, Va., and as a classic cinema experience through Visulite Cinemas Dec. 18-24. In Atlanta, Alliance Theatre has turned to the drive-in to present A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play, co-adapted by Leora Morris and Ben Coleman, with Morris directing. Staged for the first time as an interactive drive-in experience, the Alliance production will run Dec. 4-23, with tickets beginning at $50 per car.

Meanwhile, if it’s an aural Carol that will satisfy your holiday yearning, theatres across the country have that option at the ready too. Chicago’s Goodman Theatre is streaming Tom Creamer’s adaptation of the tale, directed by Jessica Thebus and featuring an all-Chicago cast, for free through Dec. 31. And San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater is streaming Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh’s adaptation, A Christmas Carol: On Air, Dec. 4-31 with tickets ranging from $40-60. Peter J. Kuo will direct.

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is combining the urge to get out of the house with a unique audio experience, created by the Q Brothers Collective. A Walking Xmas Carol invites audience members to take a 21-stop stroll by window displays designed by PaintedBlack STL, a group that earlier this year worked with local Black artists to paint murals on boarded-up businesses. Artistic director Tom Ridgley (he/him) and company had also worked with PaintedBlack STL on A Late Summer Night’s Stroll, which featured curated archways, loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s midsummer tale, for participants to walk through.

“When we were looking ahead to the holidays,” Ridgely said, “we knew it was going to be a long, hard road, without so much of what makes that time of year festive, enjoyable, and even bearable. The holidays can be a rough time for folks. The same way it felt like people over the summer were hungering for something like that, it seemed like, what can we do that will give people a chance to get out in the distant presence of other people and experience something in real life?”

Of all the activities that can feel at least somewhat safe during COVID-19, Ridgely noted, taking walks has been one that has kept a lot of people sane. So, Ridgely, PaintedBlack STL, and company went about transforming vacant storefronts into a way to experience the beauty of A Christmas Carol. And having already worked with the Chicago-based Q Brothers on Dress the Part, the troupe’s take on Two Gentlemen of Verona, to start the year, Ridgley said they had already been discussing bringing the collective’s take on Dickens to St. Louis.

With an audio companion recorded by the Q Brothers serving as a story guide, participants have the opportunity to use QR codes placed at each window display and their phones to take a walking tour through a contemporary take on the holiday classic. The experience, running through Dec. 23, is free for all those who are interested.

There’s something comforting about a slew of Christmas Carol productions popping up throughout the country at this fraught time—something familiar and welcome. Perhaps it’s just the underlying longing for some sense of normalcy that theatrical traditions can provide. After all, companies across the country are also still finding ways to mount The Nutcracker, even if that means streaming it on the side of a building. But there’s still something grounding about A Christmas Carol that goes beyond the Tiny Tims and Scrooges who take the stage every year. It’s the gathering: of family, friends, and theatremakers around a story that begs us all to take stock of what we share while we have it. In a year where feeling distant is all too common, it’s refreshing to be able to come together a little closer, even virtually, around a common theme. Dickens bless us, everyone.

[Jerald Raymond Pierce is associate editor at American Theatre.  He studied acting at Ohio University and received his M.A. in arts journalism from Syracuse University.  A member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA), Pierce is also a freelance reviewer for the Chicago Tribune.]