The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge comes to thrilling new life as Tony Award® winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, Gentleman’s Guide…) plays over 50 roles in a virtuosic, master class of a performance that must be seen to be believed. This theatrical achievement comes from the haunting and hope-filled vision of one of Broadway’s most imaginative directors, Michael Arden (Tony-winning Best Revival – Once on this Island).
Arden moves his subject forward through each of Dickens' staves, but the production arrives nowhere. There is no unique point of view or revelation from this solo 'Carol,' which puts Mays' malleability to waste. The production skews gloomier than most modern retellings. A casket taunts us from center stage before the show begins. Then, a loud, booming sound (design by Joshua D. Reid) shocks us into action. Courtesy of lighting designer Ben Stanton, deep shadows envelop the stage - an effect which successfully relays a cinematic-like quality of ominousness, but unsuccessfully keeps its audience awake.
Unlike the 2019 Broadway production of “A Christmas Carol” or the long-running production many years ago at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, both of which were enlivened by music, this version (adapted by Mays, his wife Susan Lyons, and Arden) is pure, serious storytelling. As a result, the show often feels like Mays is reading the book to us, which can occasionally have the unintended effect of lulling one to sleep -- especially given how dark the theater often is.
1994 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
1995 | Off-Broadway |
Return Engagement [off-Broadway] Off-Broadway |
1996 | Off-Broadway |
Return Engagement [off-Broadway] Off-Broadway |
1996 | Broadway |
Return Engagement Broadway |
1997 | Off-Broadway |
Return Engagement [off-Broadway] Off-Broadway |
1998 | Off-Broadway |
Return Engagement [off-Broadway] Off-Broadway |
1999 | Off-Broadway |
Return Engagement [off-Broadway] Off-Broadway |
2000 | Off-Broadway |
Return Engagement [off-Broadway] Off-Broadway |
2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jefferson Mays |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) | Ken Elliott |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | Jefferson Mays |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) | Joshua D. Reid |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Video or Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Lucy Mackinnon |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Ben Stanton |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Dane Laffrey |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Joshua D. Reid |
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