Dec. 14, 2011 - Issue #843: New Year’s Eve Style

A Christmas Carol

We've had 12 years of A Christmas Carol now, making it both a blessing and bane for journalists (what do you say after a dozen years? Or even a couple?). Not that anyone else seems be counting: its pull remains a strong one. Proof of that: to a (mostly full) Sunday night house, this incarnation of A Christmas Carol managed to earn itself somewhere in the neighbourhood of five spontaneous outbreaks of applause throughout its runtime. From a bulk of people whom, given the intermission chatter, have seen it before, at least a couple of times. It's tradition now, pure and simple, and it's become that way because it's still a dazzling interpretation of the spirit of Dickens' beloved story.

That story, of one well-named Scrooge transforming from festive grinch to holiday cheerleader is pretty flawless in its execution. McMillan's Scrooge, in his second year in the role, is a careful curmudgeon; he can shift from crotchety Mr Burns-like man to a more invested, stone-faced figure being confronted with the ugly and beautiful details of his life, in a moment's turn. Backed by a passionate supporting cast and a well-constructed set and well-imagined scoring—and all kept moving by Bob Baker's direction—Scrooge's arc, and the sights and spectacle of it all still pull gasps from the people who know it well. It's far from broken, and proves that after 12 years, there's no hurry to alter any iota of this Carol.

Until Fri, Dec 23 (7:30 pm)
Directed by Bob Baker
Citadel Theatre, $20 – $103.95 vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus