A Christmas Carol Review Thread

[Dave13]

Posted: 11/20/19 at 7:27pm

Tonight is opening night. I am surprised this thread hasn't been started yet. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 11/21/19 at 11:13am

Don't have the links on me right now but Ben Brantley seemed to love it (though not enough for a critics pick), and both Variety and Vulture seemed to hate it. Somewhat surprising given all the reviews on this board.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 11/21/19 at 11:28am

I just checked The NY Times website and it says it actually is a Critics’ Pick.

[76Trombones 2]

Posted: 11/21/19 at 12:02pm

I absolutely adored this production, but I think the negative criticisms are fair. Most of the concerns from the critics stem from the weaknesses of the book, not on the theatrics or design of the production (which we can agree are stellar!).
One of the things that makes Dickens such an effective storyteller is that his plots are air-tight. Even the most minute of details always play a significant role to the plot, and I think this is especially true in A CHRISTMAS CAROL. So to change those plot points was a huge risk, and some of those changes had me scratching my head. 

 

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 Like why does Tiny Tim die in the present instead of the future? Why is Fezziwig an undertaker? Why is Scrooge's mother still alive in his youth and why is Fan the spirit of Christmas yet to come? Etc.

I think these changes only undermine the strength of Dickens's text.
With that said, I've been recommending this production to my friends left and right but I do echo some of the critics by saying I wish it was more faithful to Dickens's vision.

Updated On: 11/21/19 at 12:02 PM

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 11/21/19 at 12:04pm

I think that’s absolutely fair! I heard quite a few quibbles at intermission about the changes to the story, but the overall experience is excellent.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 11/21/19 at 12:09pm

DaveyG said: "I just checked The NY Times website and it says it actually is a Critics’ Pick."

Oops, my bad. 

I think some of the changes with Fan make sense because it adds (in my opinion) more weight to act 2 when we have someone we're familiar with. Though I will admit that I was never super attached to the source material and had actually forgotten a lot of it (like Belle) when watching this show. I was quite surprised at the number of critics who thought it fell flat and lifeless though.