I will cut to the chase with this one and say that the Guthrie's rendition of A Christmas Carol is every bit the holiday tradition it should be, every bit as wonderful as I had hoped, and you should go see it.


I should also clarify by saying that I am a firm believer in no Christmas-ness before Thanksgiving (since Thanksgiving is my favorite of all the holidays), and I never break my own rule. No lights, no decorating, no music, no movies... until now. My love of blogging for the Guthrie meant that if I wanted to add Christmas Carol to my repertoire, I better suck it up. I did, and I am glad. I broke my cardinal rule, and upon leaving the theater on the 20th of November, I wanted nothing but to drive straight to the nearest U-Cut and enjoy the sweet smells of sap and pine in my living room. To top it all off, we had the first snow of the season that weekend. Kudos Guthrie, kudos. You may have broken me.

I also feel like I should tell you that I have been wanting to see this show since I was a little girl. Given that the Guthrie has been performing it in some fashion for more than 35 years, and I am only 24... you'd think I would have seen it by now. I haven't, and I have no good reason other than by the time I get around to thinking about getting tickets, it's usually sold out. Not wanting to make the same mistake this year, I just purchased tickets to take my family on December 17th and my mom actually cried when I told her (points for me!). I can't wait to see the show again when the Christmas season is in full swing!

Now, enough about my personal morals around holiday traditions and onto the play!

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the show without dedicating an entire paragraph to J.C. Cutler as the humbugger himself, but first, a picture:


I include that particular photo for two reasons: 1) It's funny, 2) I think it's excellent representation of Cutler's ability to make Scrooge an amiable character - even before the end of the play when most people probably wind up liking him anyway. I read in a recent article in the Star Tribune that Cutler said, "the challenge of Scrooge is to create a character that really needs redemption," and he absolutely nails that sentiment. (Note: You can read the full article here, and you should.) The entire time I just felt like Scrooge needed a hug, but maybe it's really Cutler who deserves the hug for a job well done. I never thought I'd say this, but I may have a new favorite Scrooge... sorry Michael Cain.

My other favorite characters were the spirits. Perhaps that goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyway! Bob Davis (Jacob Marley) had the best costume of the evening with his Einsteinian hair and flailing chains:


Meanwhile, Tracey Maloney (Ghost of Christmas Past), Robert O. Berdahl (Ghost of Christmas Present), and Ben Rosenbaum (Ghost of Christmas Future) all do a remarkable job depicting familiar literary characters in a way that is both refreshing and exciting while still paying neccessary homage to the classic representation we are all used to. The most memorable of these for me was the Ghost of Christmas Future who brings creepiness to a whole new level. Ask around, I actually jumped right along with Scrooge when this ghost made its entrance. Good thing I like creepy.

Other than that, I'm confident to say that you will also walk away with an uncanny urge to attend Fezziwig's parties, a strong sense of sadness for young Scrooge (played by Zach Fineblum), and a gut sore from laughing at the antics of Merriweather, Scrooges drunkard house maid (played by Angela Timberman).

Basically, the characters are great, the set is wonderful and for those of you who are lovers of the novel, the Guthrie does an excellent job bringing a Dickensian Christmas to life on the stage. Brit Lit scholars, you will not be disappointed. Long story short, I loved it and I find myself in full agreement with the suggestion of their ad campaign: I fully intend to make it my new holiday tradition.

Later days, let Christmas be merry and the coming year a happy one.