A Christmas Carol, Ford's Theatre, Washington, DC

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843. The novella has been a staple of Christmas celebrations ever since. There have been numerous iterations of the story as a play and as a film. I daresay that Dickens’s “ghost story of Christmas” might be almost as universally known as that other Christmas story with shepherds and wise men. The name “Scrooge” has become synonymous with the miserly penny-pincher or the disagreeably dour, and inextricably linked with his trademark put-down: “Bah, humbug!”

The story is deceptively simple. On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four ghosts. First, the ghost of his late business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley’s Ghost explains that there will be three more visitors, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Each of the ghosts will show Scrooge as he was, as he is, and as he may be, if he does not alter his behavior. He is specifically shown himself as a youth in the Past, and his nephew Fred and the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit, in the Present and the Future.

Scrooge is deeply affected by these visions. He awakens the next morning, Christmas Day, resolved to be a different man. Suddenly he is free-spirited and generous.

Dickens is not just telling a story about redemption, his writing about the poor and destitute, especially among children, is powerful social commentary. Especially striking is the moment in which the Ghost of Christmas Present introduces two poor children, Ignorance and Want, warning us of the consequences of those conditions.

As many times as you may have seen A Christmas Carol in one form or another (I even recall  as a child seeing a cartoon version with the character “Mister Magoo” as Scrooge), Ford’s Theatre’s current production is transformative. The novella has been adapted for the stage numerous times, but this adaptation is by Michael Wilson, originally directed by Michael Baron and currently directed by Jose Carrasquillo, captures the Dickens’s view of mid-19^th century London by inserting a variety of familiar (and some less familiar) Christmas carols seamlessly into the story. There is something particularly special about seeing the production in an historic theatre opened just 20 years after Dickens wrote the novella.

Craig Wallace plays Ebenezer Scrooge for the eighth year, providing considerable bravura and bluster in the role. Though he has played the role many times, there is nothing stale about his work here. At the beginning of the play, he is thoroughly hateful, frightening, and villainous. He is dubious and fearful about the ghosts’ visits, but accepts them as real, finally (and believably) achieving redemption as he becomes a benevolent, generous, wholly changed man. Wallace’s performance is a master class in acting.

Craig Wallace as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

Joining him on this journey is an outstanding ensemble of 16 adults and six children. All are worthy of praise, but several are particularly outstanding. Justine “Icy” Moral is ethereal and charming as the Ghost of Christmas Past, floating effortlessly about the stage. Kimberly Gilbert is a bright light (in more ways than one) and more than a bit sassy as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Jonathan Atkinson is a sturdy and sympathetic Bob Cratchit. John Floyd is suave and sunny as Scrooge’s nephew Fred, also doubling as the younger Ebenezer. The children are just as professional in their performances as the adults. (And having two of the children handle the “please turn off your cell phones” message at the beginning of the play was unexpected but totally effective.)

Kimberly Gilbert as the Ghost of Christmas Present in the 2023 Ford’s Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, directed by Michael Baron. Photo by Scott Suchman.

The design, including Lee Savage (scenic), Alejo Vietti (costumes), Rui Rita (lighting), Charles G. LaPointe (wigs), and John Schmidt (sound and original music), takes us, quite convincingly, to Victorian London and accomplishes amazing special effects that defy logic and explanation. (I am still confounded by what happens to Scrooge’s bed. Awesome!) Their work with director Carrasquillo, choral director Jay Crowder, dialects and vocal director Rachel Hirshorn-Johnston, and choreographer Shea Sullivan casts a spell that almost makes you believe the ghosts are real. The production is a jewel of sight and sound, flawlessly delivered.

I have seen or read (and once even adapted and performed a reader’s theatre version) A Christmas Carol many times. As familiar as the story is, experiencing this imaginative, beautifully-executed production was a more emotional experience than I had anticipated. No wonder the Ford’s production of A Christmas Carol is a holiday tradition for many families in the DMV. I left the theatre uplifted, ready for the Christmas season to commence. Performances continue through December 31.