Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL is Filled with Magical Holiday Perfection at Meadow Brook Theatre!

A Christmas Carol at Meadow Brook Theatre is perfect way to get in the holiday spirit this season and excellent example of high-class Michigan theatre production. The show is absolutely captivating with every magical moment that takes the audience on a journey with Ebenezer Scrooge through the help of the Spirits of Christmas past, present, and future until he realizes the true meaning of Christmas.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a story, by now, that most people know since it has been around for almost two hundred years. Meadow Brook Theatre is doing an original adaption and staging of it by Charles Nolte with the show directed by Terry W. Carpenter. They are no stranger to the show, in fact, this is their 35th year of staging A Christmas Carol as part of their season. All the years of experience doing the show has only made it a more perfect production to come see.

The moment the curtain rises, the audience is immediately transported to Dickens-era London. The sets are exquisite and Peter W. Hicks did an amazing job with the design. Everything about them are just done impeccably. They work flawlessly with the show by adding to it to be another character without overpowering the actors. In the first scene, the audience sees the busy London streets and can appreciate some of fantastic costume designs of Mary Pettinato. Her designs help make the show and really make each character or character grouping really stand out, especially the different ghosts. Shortly after, the audience is introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge. Thomas D. Mahard plays the role of Scrooge and there could not be anyone more perfect for the role. He is brilliant with the delivery of lines by knowing how to pause for comedy and how to let the meanness of Scrooge come across. When watching Mahard on stage, it truly feels as if he came to life right off the pages of A Christmas Carol exactly as Charles Dickens meant him to be. The rest of the large cast brings together a show that is exceptional and full of holiday spirit. There are so many unexpected moments and theatrical effects that make this show special, worth seeing, and different from all the other productions of A Christmas Carol.

Also, try to arrive early before the show to catch the wonderful carolers who sing before the performance starts. Their acapella routine is outstanding and a joyful way to get the play started.

Our familiarity with the classic tale of A Christmas Carol during this time of year may make many us overlook seeing the beloved play and to do something else. Do not make that mistake. To overlook this production would be a huge oversight, as this is an outstanding production of A Christmas Carol at Meadow Brook Theatre, which brings to life the words of Charles Dickens in a magical way that is sure to create wonderful holiday memories for all who attend!

A Christmas Carol is currently running until December 23rd at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester. For more information or tickets, visit www.mbtheatre.com.

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