INVASION: CHRISTMAS CAROL Returns To Dad'sGarage Stage This December

Performances of "A Christmas Carol" always seem so cheery and festive, yet that may not have been the reality of Victorian England. In the latest iteration of "Invasion: Christmas Carol" by Dad's Garage, director Amber Nash brings a dark, stark touch of reality to the classic tale. Let's face it-living in London in the 1800s could be a bleak experience. The industrial revolution covered the city in smog and soot. There was no penicillin to treat your strange discharges, and amputation was the most common surgical cure. Malnutrition was rampant. Considering this, we don't think the characters in "A Christmas Carol" were intended to be quite as bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and cheery as today's productions seem to portray them.

If you want an antidote to all that fake cheeriness, then you'll want to catch the return of Dad's Garage's outrageous and irreverent "Invasion: Christmas Carol." Director Amber Nash (from the animated show Archer) is bringing a dark dose of reality to this year's performances. Your favorite characters may cough up blood and the festive London snow may be gray with factory smoot. This unique show combines scripted theatre and improv comedy into an outrageous helping of yuletide hilarity. "Invasion: Christmas Carol" has become one of our fan favorites, having been voted "Best Show" by the readers of Creative Loafing. Expect sold-out audiences and lots of laughs.

Here's how this strange and wonderful show works: a cast of Dad's Garage actor/improvisers have rehearsed a straight-up scripted adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic Christmas tale. BUT, every night a new improvised character shows up at the beginning of the performance to wreak havoc on the plot. This character could be anyone-Mr. T, Elmo, Martha Stewart, even Jesus-no one in the audience or the cast will know until he or she (or Stephen King's It) steps on stage.

The result is a new show every evening, with story twists that surprise both audiences and performers alike. In past performances, Mrs. Claus showed up to reunite with her long lost love-Scrooge. We once even surprised the performers with an improviser in a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume, bringing cretaceous-period hijinks to Christmas. Suffice it to say, you never know what's going to happen in "Invasion: Christmas Carol." Watch our cast of actors try to perform a (semi-)traditional "A Christmas Carol" while dealing with the one improviser running around stage causing havoc. It is a beautiful disaster that you're not going to want to miss.

This show is for anyone looking for a break from the traditional holiday fare at other theatres. Get the kids a babysitter, because this show is way more risqué than when the Muppets took on Scrooge. If you're looking to feel the joy of the season, but laugh at the fake cheer, then "Invasion: Christmas Carol" is the show for you.