Review: WHAT THE DICKENS at TheatreWorks New Milford

If I had a nickel for every time that I’ve reviewed the same show, I’d have 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but I’m surprised that it took so long in my reviewing history to happen. It shouldn’t be a surprise, however, that in both cases, they are to review Christmas productions. For the first time since 2021, I’ve been treated with attending TheatreWorks New Milford’s production of Matt Austin’s, What the Dickens. Can we officially call this a Christmas Classic?

In pure farcical style, What the Dickens begins with an apology and a misunderstanding: There has been a HUGE mistake, but the show must go on. Referring to a single copy of Charles Dickens’ novel, A Christmas Carol, the cast muddles their way through the Christmas staple having prepared an entirely different play in the meantime. Knowing Austin’s experience in improv, it’s easy to see his brand of humor thrummed across the piece; from ‘yes and’ing your way through a forgotten scene, ample audience interaction, and spontaneous, last-minute set changes, the cast and crew of What the Dickens brought the joy that I remembered from my last time seeing this show while keeping it feeling unique and up-to-date: No imposter syndrome here!

The cast remains largely the same, with the only change being the role of the Stage Manager, who was played (on and offstage) by Jessica Chesbro. As is the case with anytime a production is done by the same cast multiple years apart, there are generally two ways that it can go: The experience can either bring the cast closer together, or it can make the production feel stale. Austin is clever enough to update the script with modern (and real-time) improvised references that, if there was any staleness, the audience couldn’t tell! You could feel that this cast was just as excited to do this show again after all of these years as the audience was to watch it.

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