On December 18th, twelve students along with Dianna and Daniela went to The Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT to see a production of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas.
A Christmas Carol was originally written in 1843 by Charles Dickens. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, an old and miserable man who hates Christmas. He is cruel to the workers of his business, which he started with his friend Jacob Marley. Jacob visits him from the afterlife along with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. The ghosts show Scrooge what his life was, is currently, and will be with his current demeanor in hopes to make him change into a better person, which he does.
A memorable part of the experience was when the ghost of the future shows Ebenezer Scrooge what everything will look like if he continues to be the way he has been. The sections dedicated to the past, present and future were performed with enthusiasm and delivered flawlessly. The audience could sense their familiarity with the roles they played, which pulled together the idea that they were really that person making it believable and engaging!
The set design and special effects were exciting, and the costume designs were on point, with attention to detail. A less significant highlight was the ghost dancers randomly popping through the isles, leaning into the seats to scare some of the audience, leaving some audience members wishing they had sat by the aisle to partake in the fun.It’s entertaining to watch and experience how the cast interacts with the audience. Awkwardly, the majority of the people attending that day were middle school students, which made the crowd loud and immature at times, something we didn’t expect.
Overall, the experience was memorable and enjoyable. The performance represents a man who’d been crude in his daily life, and shows how the future will be if he continues to live that way. It is a good message to show about life.
