Review: AN ADOBE CHRISTMAS CAROL at Adobe Theatre

Adobe theatre's An Adobe Christmas Carol brings the spirit of the holidays to Albuquerque. With a small cast of only 13 playing multiple roles, the heartfelt production kicked off the season starting on November 22nd. The play, which is adapted and directed by Pete Parkin, takes the classic tale of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol and modernizes it many ways, giving the production even more depth. In the play, a group of homeless people break into an abandoned theater on Christmas Eve in order to find shelter from the cold. While they are getting settled in the theatre and looking for food or blankets and costumes for warmth, they come across a copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Rather than using the book as kindling for a fire, the group decide to perform the classic tale and act it out in order to distract themselves from the cold, using what props and costumes they find in the abandoned theatre.

According to Parkin, the holidays are the one time a year that "everyone is able to feel compassion for their fellow humans and strangers warmly. Would that we could make those feelings last longer." This sentiment is easily seen in An Adobe Christmas Carol as the reality of homelessness, something that is very prevalent in Albuquerque, is brought front and center. The theme of kindness is present, as well, and how much good can be done in the world just by being kind and generous to one another. Reflecting that spirit, during the run of the production, Adobe Theatre is also holding a food drive. If possible, bring non-perishable food items to donate.

The cast, including Dyan Dazzo, Jim Duran, Neil Faulconbridge, Timothy Kupjack, Lorri Oliver, Tom Poncho, Anastasia Price, McKenzie Ross, Meredith Schwall, Sophia Schwall, and Linda Wilson, do an admirable job of playing a multitude of roles. Even though the costume changes are subtle, when they occur at all, it was never difficult to tell who was playing what role. The energy of the cast, and the enjoyment that they were having onstage during the play was reflected in the audience as well. Even when mistakes were made due to a same day substitution of an actor, the audience and cast simply laughed and went with it, everyone working together in order to create the best production possible. Audience participation occurred as well, and by the end of the play, audience members were singing and clapping along to the Christmas carols being performed by the cast, showing just how much the audience was enjoying and invested in the play. The whole production was a delight to watch, from start to finish.

An Adobe Christmas Carol runs from Friday, November 22nd - Sunday, December 22nd, with performances at 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays as well as a matinee performance on Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased by calling (505) 898-9222 or online at: https://adobetheater.org/reservations/. General admission is $20 and there is a $3 discount for seniors (65+), students, ATG/TLC members, military, and first responders. With An Adobe Christmas Carol, the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge is a heartwarming tale that makes for an enjoyable time at the theatre for the whole family.

Image source: Dan Ware