Just about everyone who celebrates Christmas usually has their traditions like mine of decorating my house both inside and outside as well as watching “A Christmas Story” over and over on Christmas Day. One of my newer traditions that I really look forward too is seeing “A Christmas Carol” at the Wyly Theater. Due to COVID last year it did not feel right, and attending the performance again made it feel like there is a little sense of normality coming back.
This year’s performance of the Charles Dickens classic stars Raphael Parry as Scrooge, Lee George as Bob Cratchit, Shawn Gann as Marley, Molly Searcy as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Sally Nystuen Vahle as the Ghost of Christmas Present. The weird thing about doing this review is that it is a performance I have seen many years in the row. Each year, the basic components are there, but there tend to be subtle differences year-to-year with the most consistent changes are the actor playing the part of Scrooge himself (and even herself once) as well as the portrayal of the Ghost of Christmas Present that was even two actors once (which was my favorite of them all).
Perry’s portrayal of Scrooge fits the mold of the Scrooge we know, but the thing I found interesting is his physical features that could also play a great Santa Claus, which is a compliment in my opinion. Sally Nystuen Vahle’s Ghost of Christmas Present with her long robe with the elk horns could have fit as a female version of Cernunnos or a character in the “Lord of the Rings” series alongside a cast that is great as they usually are. Overall, if you want to get back to some normality and renew (or even start) a tradition, I highly recommend seeing “A Christmas Carole” at the Wyly Theater while it runs from now until December 26th.
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