REVIEW: Dickens’ Holiday Classic

Dickens’ Holiday Classic deploys four superb storytellers to tell the story of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in its original form (adapted by E.G. Bailey and Joseph Haj). We all know the story, but this might be the first time I’ve experienced Dickens’ wry, cheeky prose so directly.  The minimalist, haunting set allows the audience to focus on the performances by Charity Jones, Ryan Colbert, Meghan Kreidler and Nathaniel Fuller, which are nothing short of world class.

As a filmed production, this is new territory for the Midwest’s premier live theater, but everything’s different this year and it far exceeded my expectations.  Stripped of the usual theatrical embellishments that make the play an annual institution, the simple beauty of this adaptation allows the message of charity, good cheer, and live-in-the-moment spirit to provide the uplift that many of us have craved for so long.  At $10 for unlimited streaming through December 31, 2020, this show is easy to recommend to anyone and everyone (although kids may not appreciate it).

Perhaps the only thing to note is that this production is streamed via a web browser, so you might experience some difficultly getting the show onto your television.  After striking out with our smart TV’s web browser and “vintage” Fire stick, we resorted to a decidedly old-school (for 2020) HDMI cable hooked up to a laptop.  Once we had that up and running, the high definition image and crisp audio (along with a host of accessibility options) were better than front row seats.  This is perhaps one of the best uses of $10 you will find this season, with nary a humbug in sight!

Click here to purchase access to the stream.