A Christmas Carol

I know for many people, including my wife and daughter, a Christmas tradition is watching Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”. While I cannot argue that the score is wonderful and synonymous with the Christmas Season, personally I would rather go to a play instead of the ballet and the play I would rather see is “A Christmas Carol”.

One of my favorite things to do around the holidays is to go and see Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” play. One of my first memories of seeing it was over thirty years ago at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. I have had the good fortune of seeing it in many places since then with my favorite location being the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. I have even had the good fortune of being a part of the Christmas Carol festivities in Casa Loma in Toronto as a kid. I have even seen the Jim Carey movie version and the Patrick Stewart performance as well.

There are so many good productions of this play around the country during the Christmas season that I am sure you will be able to find one close enough to attend and I encourage you to make it a part of your family’s tradition. Looking around the country this year one production really stood out to me, the one playing in Washington D.C. at the Ford’s Theatre. Forget the fact that the theatre is a National landmark and well worth seeing in its own right, and let’s focus strictly on this year’s production which features an all star cast and you’ll begin to see the reason it stood out to me.

Arguably the most important role in the play, that of Ebenezer Scrooge, is played by such an accomplished actor that it would be worth seeing the play just for that. Edward Gero is an award winning actor known for his acting in plays, particularly Shakespeare, as well as movies and Television. You probably know him as Abraham Isaacs in, House of Cards. This year he is returning for his 7th year as Ebenezer Scrooge which says a lot about the reception he has received. Acting is a tough business and landing the lead in a major production in the Nation’s Capital year after year isn’t an accident, it is a result of talent and hard work. From the clips I have seen you can see the joy he has in performing as Scrooge which I am sure is one of the reasons he keeps coming back. In my mind it is not easy to go from being a mean spirited old man to a joyful embodiment of Christmas in a convincing way and I would love the chance to see him perform the entirety of the play and watch the transformation unfold.

So you have an award winning actor who obviously enjoys his part and captivates the audience in a play written by one of the giants of literature, in a nationally acclaimed historic theatre. I am really not sure how you can go wrong with this performance which is why from all the excellent productions I looked over this would be my number one choice this year. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Washington D.C. this year I would recommend you take the time to go see this performance. Perhaps you can even start a family tradition that will continue for decades and give your kids memories that will last a lifetime.

And of course if you need tickets to the show, this is the place to go!

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And if you would like a preview check this out.