Several versions of A Christmas Carol are familiar on television, in the movies, and, specifically, live at the Goodman Theatre. It's a start to the holiday season in Chicago, usually coinciding with the official tree lighting and the Festival of Lights on Michigan Avenue. The Goodman's Centennial season brings the Dickens tale closer to its 17th-century London roots. Director Malkia Stampley has been the Goodman's BOLD Artistic Director since 2021, and is also an established actor. Stampley's direction has the mark of a keen social observer and a wonderful sense of whimsy. This production is one of the spookiest versions I have seen on stage. The opening scene is a black-and-white, fogged cityscape of Victorian London, a city of great wealth and staggering poverty. The street then fills with people, vendors with racks of geese, roasted chestnuts, and holiday revelry.
Christopher Donaghue, in his second time around as the embittered Ebenezer Scrooge, delves deeper into Scrooge's own losses and childhood trauma. It is a superb performance with sadness shining through. In this adaptation by Tom Creamer, Scrooge has a niece named Frida (Amira Danan), left behind by his late sister Fan (Sól Fuller), who reminds him of the only happiness from his childhood. In every version I have seen, Frida is "Fred," but I like this better because a woman would evoke his sister's memory. It's a living ghost of what he has lost. I loved his performance as a wounded soul by his own droing, but he was also hilarious as the redeemed Scrooge.
The lighting design by Keith Parham is stunning, and the sound design by Pornchanok Kanchanabanca is a perfect complement in every scene. The crack of thunder that coincides with Scrooge's first encounter with the ghost will make you jump in you seat. Jacob Marley (Daniel José Molina ) appears in flashes of light and is chained to an invisible entity. The scene is done with a strobe effect that heightens the spooky appeal. The Ghost of Christmas Past is played by Lucky Stiff, dressed in angelic attire, and they take him on a flight across the sky. Not only does Ebenezer see his sister Fan, but he also sees how greed and the pursuit of wealth cost him the love of his life, Belle (Tatiana Bustamante).
Bustamante nails the pathos and anger of watching her fiancé plot with Marley to steal Mr. Fezziwig's (Robert Schleifer) company. It ties in to how Ebenezer built his fortune, but also gained the enmity of almost everyone. I was impressed with Jon Hudson Odom as Bob Cratchit. His approach to Cratchit is a man with deeply held beliefs of extending kindness, even to his skinflint boss. It was different from the way the character is usually portrayed as a man beaten down with no backbone, and in a state of constant mourning. Helen Joo Lee is also great as Mrs. Cratchit. Lee's face cannot hide her contempt for Scrooge and how he treats her husband. Bob had to pawn her mother's vase to pay for their meager dinner, and knives shoot from Lee's eyes at the mention of Scrooge.
The glorious Bethany Thomas plays the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ebenezer's charwoman. Thomas was in Marie and Rosetta, playing musical icon Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and she proves her comic skills in A Christmas Carol. Thomas is hilarious as the charwoman dividing up Scrooge's goods, but the biggest laugh is watching her react to the rehabilitated and lively Scrooge.
There are so many charming and funny touches in A Christmas Carol, such as the turkey that Scrooge buys for the Cratchits being bigger than the kid who went to get it. The butcher has to roll the boy and the turkey on a dolly cart. I loved that the Fezziwig party was also done in ASL. "Merry Christmas" is one of the first things I learned in sign language, and now I have picked up "and a happy new year" as well. I give props to the costume designer Heidi McMath. The costumes look very Victorian England with a bit of post-Austen tailoring. This is a huge cast, and everyone looks great.
The ominous features made my hair stand on end. The Ghost of Christmas Future (Daniel José Molina) is attended by two wraithlike children in rags. The Ghost of Christmas Present warns Scrooge about his actions, saying they would bring forth Want (Ella Boparai) and Ignorance (Carmelo Kelly). Want and Ignorance are barely visible. They are shadows in rags surrounded by darkness and the impenetrable fog that London is known for to this day. It was not the smelly machine-made fog, thank you.
The Goodman Theater is known for its excellent production of this well-loved Dickens classic. There is no doubt that many versions of A Christmas Carol will stream into millions of homes this holiday season. There's Scrooged (1988), Ebbie (1995) for you, Susan Lucci fans, and so many others that you will get your fill if that is your jam. I highly recommend that you get yourself and some friends over to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago's Loop for an excellent production that would charm the Grinch out of stealing Christmas.
A Christmas Carol runs for 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission, through December 31 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. For tickets and more information, please visit https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/a-christmas-carol/.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
Support arts and culture journalism today. This work doesn't happen without your support. Contribute today and ensure we can continue to share the latest reviews, essays, and previews of the most anticipated arts and culture events across the city.
