New Meaning for Today’s Holiday Season

Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol

Manual Cinema first presented their unique, multimedia version of “A Christmas Carol” in 2020. It was a production that audiences paid-to-view on their computer screens, via Zoom. Two years ago, when the country was in the depths of a worldwide pandemic shutdown, all live theatrical productions were cancelled. This really put a damper on all our usual Christmas festivities. As a result, every social event and holiday gathering was prohibited. 

The spread of Covid-19 had demanded that, in order to protect our own health, and that of our loved ones, we were urged to get vaccinated and boosted. It was also requested that we wash or sanitize our hands, keep six feet apart and wear surgical masks when in large gatherings. The result was that Americans were quarantining in their own homes as the new normal for the holidays. But Manual Cinema, the creative theatrical/multimedia company that brought us their unique interpretation of “Frankenstein” a couple years ago at the Court Theatre, devised this imaginative, contemporary new version of the world’s favorite holiday story.

By now, everyone knows Charles Dickens’ much-celebrated Victorian morality tale about old Ebenezer Scrooge. The prickly, penny-pinching tightwad’s name has become synonymous with being a cynical cheapskate. Scrooge hated Christmas and all that it stood for. Because of an oppressed childhood and a disappointing youth, Scrooge had forsaken all hope, love,  optimism and any obligation to help those less fortunate. Manual Cinema has beautifully adapted this English novella to reflect the events and mood of Chicago in 2020.

Following her partner’s recent, tragic death from Covid-19, Aunt Trudy makes a valiant attempt to recreate Uncle Joe’s annual holiday puppet show. Using Joe’s collection of homemade paper puppets, miniatures and silhouettes, and boosted by a melancholy soundtrack of music and original songs, she attempts to faithfully reproduce his presentation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” This was his annual heartfelt Christmas gift for his extended family each year. But because the pandemic is still raging, Aunt Trudy is trying to deliver her late husband’s gift to the family via a Zoom conference call. 

Between Aunt Trudy’s sorrow at Joe’s death, apathy toward the puppet show, and inexperience with performing, she also lacks an understanding of how to use technical devices. All this is made worse by a thunderstorm raging outside and so complications arise. Suddenly, in true Manual Cinema style, the Dickensian story takes on a supernatural life of its own. The effect is exhilarating and inspiring, as a skeptical Aunt Trudy turns into Scrooge and undergoes her own change of heart.

The live, 70-minute, multimedia production being presented at Writers Theatre is quite special and a heartwarming experience for the entire family. It’s a show that acknowledges a pandemic that’s forever changed the lives of our nation, while generating the same feeling of hope that the original Charles Dickens story displayed. 

The play opens on LaKecia Harris, as Aunt Trudy. This relatable Baby Boomer is a novice computer-user and Zoom call participant. Ms Harris portrays a bitter woman dealing with the death of her lifelong partner, Uncle Joe, at the holidays. She takes a packing break of their shared memories together in order to reluctantly recreate Uncle Joe’s holiday tradition for the family. She uses Joe’s hundreds of paper puppets in an attempt to tell Dickens’ familiar tale. She lays no claim as an actor and warns her Zoom viewers not to expect an English accent in her performance. As Trudy fumbles with the puppets and she loses her place in the story, she becomes increasingly frustrated. Trudy almost gives up entirely before three, darkly-clothed spirits seem to take over the show. 

The production is actually the creation of several other talented artists, such as puppeteers Lizi Breit, Julia Miller and Jeffrey Paschal, who also appears in person as Mike, the young man delivering Aunt Trudy’s dinner. A live, onstage musical combo plays in the shadows. It features Ben Kauffman, accompanying on piano, keys, providing lead vocals and voiceover, Kyle Vegter, who assists on cello, bass, keys and additional vocals and voiceover and Emily Meyer, on violin and vocals. Every artisan, most of whom are somewhere onstage, helps bring this story to life. The adaptation was written by the artists who are performing, with additional words contributed by Nate Marshall. The haunting original score was created by Kauffman and Vegter, providing mood and mystery to the performance.

This uniquely original version of “A Christmas Carol” is as timely as when Charles Dickens wrote his tale in 1843. It blends live theatre, film, puppetry and original music and vocals to create a contemporary new and exciting holiday family entertainment. Manual Cinema’s production is stunningly beautiful, deeply heartfelt, often funny and sometimes scary. Wisely reducing the Victorian novella to its basic story, and drawing parallels between the effects of the pandemic and the poverty of Victorian London, this “Ghost Story of Christmas” offers new meaning for today’s holiday season.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas            

Presented November 29-December 24 by Manual Cinema, live on stage at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL.

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Writers Theatre box office, by calling 847-242-6000 or by going to  www.writerstheatre.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.