” A Christmas Carol” : An Audio Play” Covid-19 edition review by Julia W. Rath

***** Five Stars!!!! Highly Recommended!  

Goodman Theatre’s annual tradition of bringing smiles and good cheer to Chicago audiences looks a lot different this year. This holiday season, you don’t need to make that special pilgrimage to downtown Chicago to see the magic of “A Christmas Carol.” Instead the magic comes directly to you! Due to the miracle of modern technology, this stirring and highly imaginative production is as near as your computer or cell phone. Born of necessity due to the pandemic, this year’s show focuses on the very opposite of the highly elaborate sets, gorgeous costuming, impressive lighting, and astounding technical effects. Instead today’s show has been reconcieved and rewritten as an audio play with a full cast of characters plus sound effects and music.

By going back to the roots of Charles Dickens’ classic novel “A Christmas Carol”, Neena Arndt, Jessica Thebus, and Richard Woodbury have created a fresh adaptation that allows each of us to conjure up scenes of 19th century England in our own imagination. We listen to Dickens’ original descriptions of events, using language that is somewhat different from today’s but perfectly understandable. Andrew White serves as narrator. He frames the story and provides us with background on how the plot develops. Larry Yando plays the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge in a remarkable performance. He serves as the epicenter of the action: abusive and disagreeable at one moment; kind and comforting later on. All the rest of the characters add to the hubbub in the best of all possible ways by means of their distinct and expressive voices. Director Thebus has worked hard to guarantee that this 86-minute performance holds our attention throughout and is easy to follow. Sound designer and audio engineer Woodbury has made sure that the sound quality and soundscape are of equal quality to that found in the live stage presentation. In all, the show is flawless and technically superb! Due to the extraordinarily fine accomplishments of the cast and production team, we can take Dickens’ tale at face value or choose to envision a stage that we might have seen at the Goodman or at some other theatre in years past.

The original show and the current version are very different but equally compelling. The live show, adapted by Tom Creamer, treated us to the oohs and aahs of scenic design as well as the joys of laughter and frolic when we watched the fine movements of the actors. However, as we now retreat to listening to a broadcast resembling old-time radio, the audience is being treated to something not typical in the hustle-bustle of our daily lives: the pleasure of sitting still in a darkened room (possibly with loved ones nearby) and paying close attention to spoken words taken from a classic story. In this way, the newly reinvented show transported me to my childhood when my cousins and I would sit around in the dark and invent ghost stories to scare one another. “A Christmas Carol: An Audio Play” is no different, except that a scary story is merged with a morality tale. Dickens demonstrates that there is a big difference between being poor in wealth and poor in spirit. Life is finite, and it is not all about making large profits or feeding one’s ego; rather, there are the joys of caring and kindness that each and every one of us can express and share. It’s all a matter of thoughtfulness and generosity: what we can give to others, expecting nothing in return. And that is what Christmas is all about.

I think of Tiny Tim and his disability—and how the blessing of this remote audio performance can allow people who cannot otherwise go to the theatre to enjoy “A Christmas Carol” from the comfort of their homes. I also think of Bob and Mrs. Cratchit and how going to the theatre would have been impossible for them in their dire financial circumstances; so too is it with many families suffering during the present economic downturn. I think of people like the unrepentant Scrooge, who could have afforded a theatre ticket in his day but who probably would not have understood the eternal message of Christmas and the deep desire to extend good wishes and good tidings to all. “Bah humbug!” he would have said. But listening to Dickens’ tale is especially transformational for all of us as we live through these exceptionally difficult times. In an era of social distancing where we crave camaraderie with our fellows more than ever, we have the beauty of the internet and social media to turn to for comfort: allowing us to share this show and other gifts of the heart with family, friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers.

In my opinion, both the live stage production and the recorded audio ought to become part and parcel of our holiday traditions for many years to come.

“A Christmas Carol: An Audio Play” is indeed the Goodman Theatre’s gift to Chicago and the world. The show is absolutely free on audio stream through Soundcloud via the Goodman Theatre website: https://carol.goodmantheatre.org/the-audio-play/.

Tune in on Christmas Eve at 3:00 p.m. CST and Christmas Day at 11:00 a.m. CST to listen to the broadcast, which airs on WBEZ 91.5 FM and Vocalo 91.1 FM.

For more about “A Christmas Carol” and other shows at the Goodman, go to: Goodmantheatre.org.

Please consider donating to the Goodman Theatre to help defray the expenses involved in creating this show. Donations help support theater professionals who make this and other productions possible. Yours would truly be a gift that keeps on giving. Go to: https://carol.goodmantheatre.org/donate/ for more information on how you can help.

At this time of year, audiences are asked to consider making a donation to Season of Concern
https://seasonofconcern.org/, a proud partner of the Goodman Theatre, to help out Chicago actors and production staff at a time when theatres have gone dark. Season of Concern offers emergency financial assistance to theatre makers in times of need and has been doing so for the last 33 years.

To quote from the show: “Any amount would assist us in our cause.”

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “A Christmas Carol : An Audio Play”  GOODMAN