What about actor Anthony Lawton’s one-man version of “A Christmas Carol” makes it so Philly-ish?
Philly’s “a city of tradition, so a well-known story like ‘A Christmas Carol’ feels like the right fit for this town,” explained avid theatergoer Lauren Leonard, who buys an annual ticket to the Lantern Theater Co. production.
“We’re super-traditional,” said Leonard, of South Philadelphia, an actor and the founder of her own theater company, Earlie Bird Productions. “We love what we love, AND we take great pride in doing it slightly differently, so people say, `That’s interesting, that’s Philly doing their thing.’”
Philly’s thing this season is four, count `em, four versions of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Add many other holiday-themed theater productions, concerts, and Yule-die-laughing comedy acts, as well as the Philadelphia Ballet classic “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at the Academy of Music along with “The Nutcracker Dipped in Chocolate” from the Chocolate Ballerina Company at Drexel University’s Mandell Theater.
Why so much and why now?
Because, say theater-makers, theatergoers, and scholars, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute.
At the Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bucks County, co-producing director Ken Kaissar is watching ticket sales climb for the classic comedy “A Christmas Story: The Play” about multiple mishaps separating a boy and a special gift.
“This might be our best-selling play in our 37-year-history,” he rejoiced.
“I had no idea how popular the movie was. People claim to know it by heart. I’m wearing a “Christmas Story” tie. People are coming in wearing ‘Christmas Story’ socks,” he said.
“It really puts you in the holiday spirit.”
Nothing puts theater-makers in the holiday spirit more than good ticket sales. High demand prompted the Walnut Street Theatre to add another performance of its “A Christmas Carol.’
Theaters believe the Christmas classic builds audiences, said Zak Berkman, producing artistic director at Peoples Light in Malvern, which is staging its own version of “A Christmas Carol.”
“The holiday shows in general are multigenerational,” he said.
Berkman turned the Dickens classic into a musical, composing a score incorporating carols, rock, and folk, accompanied by a five-piece band. (You can hear a sample on Peoples Light’s YouTube page.)
“We joke that ‘A Christmas Carol’ is the gateway drug for the theater,” he said. “We see people buying tickets as holiday gifts – as a replacement for a new sweater. The item you open under the tree isn’t going to be as memorable as seeing ‘A Christmas Carol.’
For Berkman, the appeal is timeless with a centuries-old story of redemption. But this year, in this time of division, a new aspect of the plot intrigues him deeply.
“The Scrooge story is a grief story – he lost his best friend, his fiancé, and a lot of things. The psychological realism of that is really profound. To see him thaw over two hours, and then realize what that could mean for a community is really profound.
“But there’s a second miracle – the miracle of a community welcoming back” someone like Scrooge, someone who has been coldhearted, Berkman said.
Scholars sound similar themes.
To Mary Mullen, an associate professor of English from South Philadelphia, the role that ghosts play in “A Christmas Carol,” matches the function they serve in other stories. She would know. She teaches a class titled “Ghostly Matters” at Villanova University.
“They destabilize the boundaries of the material and immaterial world,” said Mullen. “We’re drawn to the shadows and presences we don’t pay attention to every day. They point us toward other possibilities by showing us the costs that haven’t been reckoned with. We want the holiday to be a portal to a different world” and ghosts are often the doorkeepers.
Kareem Johnson, of Manayunk and a psychology professor at Temple University, said Christmas stories that evoke traditions old and new “connect us to our childhood, our upbringing, and previous generations.”
The redemption aspects of “A Christmas Carol” and other Christmas classics coincide with seasonal change, Johnson said. “Finding warmth in cold places and cold hearts is something we see in these stories.”
“There’s a real durability to the tradition of stories, music, and drama at the solstice – bringing people together indoors in search of light and warmth,” said Lauren Shohet, of Swarthmore, a Villanova English professor.
It’s why theatergoer Diane Donato annually attends Lantern’s “A Christmas Carol.” After she and her husband first saw it, “we said, ‘This is going to be our Christmas treat to ourselves.’”
As good as the performance is technically, there’s more to it for Donato, of Center City. She appreciates the kindness Scrooge receives and ultimately returns.
“Now, when you see all the hateful things, it’s nice to have a kind word,” she said. “We have to reinforce that.”
How? Donato suggests “A Christmas Carol.”
“When we left that theater,” she said, “everyone was smiling and so full of joy.”
Here’s an on-stage joy sampling:
“A Christmas Carol,” through Dec. 27 by Lantern Theater Co., Drake Theater, 302 S. Hicks St., Phila. 215-829-0395
“A Christmas Carol,” for kids through Dec. 17, The Theatre School at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., Phila. 215-574-3550
“A Christmas Carol,” a musical, through Dec. 31, Peoples Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500.
“A Christmas Carol Comedy,” through Dec. 24, Hedgerow Theatre Co., 64 Rose Valley Rd., Media, 610-565-4211
“A Christmas Story: The Play,” starring Ralphie, through Dec. 31, Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St. Bristol, 215-785-0100
“Christmas in the Catskills,” the best of the Borscht Belt, through Dec. 30, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 215-654-0200
“Irving Berlin’s White Christmas:” Can this inn be saved? Through Dec. 31, Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St., New Hope, 215-862-2121Also check Crossroads Comedy and Punch Line Philly for their holiday laugh line-ups and 1812 Productions for its annual hilarious news summary, “This is The Week That Is,” through Dec. 31.
