A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie
For the past five years, the Guthrie has performed Lavina Jadhwani’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to the delight of audiences young and old. Hewing closely to Dickens’ original material year after year can be a hard prospect in this media landscape of constant updates and reboots. Halfway through the first act, I found myself wishing they had offered the play to a new writer to bring in some fresh blood and spice things up a bit. That doesn’t necessarily mean more elaborate sets, extended scenes, or reworked dialogue. (I still can’t forget the stark, haunting beauty of the Guthrie’s pandemic era version that traded elaborate costumes and fancy sets for four solo actors taking turns reciting the original text into camera.) There certainly is no shortage of incredible talent to choose from in this market, but with Jadhwani’s untimely passing to cancer mere months ago, now would hardly be the time for such a shift, if one was even contemplated.
As we settled into the second act, it was easy to get caught up in how director Addie Gorlin-Han framed Scrooge’s journey with the spirits of Christmas Present and Christmas Yet-to-Come, with his giddy eagerness to change his ways. I started to reflect that there is more than just comfort in re-reading a favorite book or re-watching a classic film or TV series. Each return to otherwise familiar material can feel fresh if you keep your eyes peeled for things you might have missed the last time. Plus, the joy of live theater is that no matter how true they are to the material, there will always be something new to take in. Will they cast a younger Scrooge, as they did in 2021 and 2022, or revert to one with a few more trips around the sun behind him? How might a newly cast actor put her own take on a role? Just how does the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come move around, anyway?
But more than anything, we return to this traditional Christmas tale, in this familiar theater, because it helps us slow down and focus on the message of redemption and the need for community. As I’ve mentioned in years past, carrying on a tradition can be a comfort and virtue in its own right. And, even if the play is mostly the same, there is plenty else to liven up the evening, like Fezziwig’s Holiday Party–a family friendly pop-up bar that opens 90 minutes before each show. Also, pay special attention to the upcoming Vikings game on Sunday, December 7, and other events at US Bank Stadium, and make sure you leave enough time to find a parking spot, as event rates apply and lots may be fuller than usual. Tickets are available at guthrietheater.org starting at $36, but hurry because prices go up the closer you get to Christmas!
Photo by Dan Norman
