A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is an eye-popping and eccentric holiday play with many surprising events that will have the whole audience on the edge of their seats. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, goes through an exciting journey with three ghosts. He is visited at his home in London, England, by three overwhelming spirits just before Christmas Day. The ghosts’ of the Past, Present, and Future have their own style and way of explaining why Christmas is so important. Mr. Scrooge, who is a terrible person, travels through many time periods to find the joy of having Christmas spirit.

Throughout the play, the medium-sized stage had a permanent set of a quaint old English street. The displayed setting added many elements to the play. For example, when different ghosts would enter the scene, specific elements would change reflecting the personality of the character. Dark smoke and cob-webs would follow the ghost of the Future and various store signs would pop-in when the Ghost of the Past emerged. When the Ghost of the Present came into the play, festive lights and garland would appear.

The stage lighting and props were very impressive and played a major role in defining scenic environments. When emotions were joyous the stage lighting displayed warm colors, such as red, orange, and yellow. Blue lights were displayed to convey a mournful feeling.  Throughout the performance, dark colors, such as black, red, and green made way for a creepy sense. To my surprise, the props complimented each of the actors very well. For Scrooge, the main props included items from his home and the rest of the characters shared props such as fake food, bells, tables, and carts.

The actors’ accents while singing and talking were very captivating because they never wavered from an old English dialect. The actors frequently displayed a command of performance by transitioning from dialogue to narrative speaking with ease. From beginning to end, the volume was normal with no noticeable dead spots. The songs and voices of the actors during their singing were charming and on occasion actors would describe scenes in song.

The costumes and make-up were interesting because the clothing helped define the season of winter and the time period of old London. Top hats, bonnets, scarves, boots, petticoats, and long coats were often adorned to give the impression that it was winter in London. In the play, some characters were beggars and some were wealthy. This was defined by the make-up of pink and white powdered faces verses black smut on cheeks. The make-up on the character Scrooge had the most definitive impact. His white hair, scrawly face,and pale pasty skin made him look stubborn and mean.

I would recommend this play to families who are looking for a performance to put them into the holiday spirit. The singing and acting were tremendous and delightful. The performance gave off a warm and welcome feeling. Although, I would not recommend this play to children under seven years of age due to the ghostly spirits causing nightmares. Overall, I give this play and performance of the actor’s five stars. The show was entertaining, funny and had great movement. There was never slow or boring moments, but instead lights, action, and song.