MORRISBURG — Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the quintessential Christmas story. A miserly man preoccupied with wealth is reformed by spirited visits that reflect on his past, present, and future. With a newfound perspective, the man finds joy and redemption in the holiday spirit. It is a timeless story – a reflection on society — as relevant today as it was when written over 180 years ago. And, it is one of my favourite Christmas stories.
Adapted for the theatre, A Christmas Carol opened December 4 at the Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg. This is the fifth time the show has been featured at the playhouse, and it was my first time going to it.
This production stars Brian Young as Ebenezer Scrooge, leading an ensemble cast of 10 performers, many of whom are familiar faces to theatre-goers.
Young has previously performed at the playhouse in Buying the Farm, Old Love, Sugar Road, and Miracle on 34th Street. Jeff Mulrooney plays Bob Cratchet, and the Ghost of Christmas Past. He has been in four past productions of A Christmas Carol at the playhouse, and also performed in Miracle on 34th Street, Everything I Love About Christmas, and Lend Me a Tenor.
Joining them on stage are Chris George as Fred (Miracle on 34th Street), Robert Clarke as Jacob Marley and Mr. Fezziwig (The Affections of May, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight), Alison Lawrence is Mrs. Fezziwig (Whose Under Where? The Affections of May), Allison MacKay is Belle (Steel Magnolias, One Slight Hitch), and Melissa Morris is Mrs. Cratchit (Miracle on 34th Street, Wally’s Cafe).
Making his debut at UCP, Dan Curtis Thompson is Peter Cratchit. His theatre credits include Shear Madness at Stage West in Calgary and The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Stirling Festival Theatre.
The role of Tiny Tim is shared by two local students from the playhouse’s Summer Theatre School – Camden Millard and Luke O’Donohue. This is Millard’s second production at UCP, having debuted in Miracle on 34th Street in 2024. This is O’Donohue’s stage debut at the playhouse. The boys alternate show nights on stage.
Adapted by UCP Artistic Director Donnie Bowes and frequent director Jesse Collins, A Christmas Carol combines the Dickens classic with era-appropriate fun music and dance for a thoroughly entertaining and authentic show.
A Christmas Carol is one of my two favourite Christmas stories, one that I’ve read to my kids every year when they were young, and I have seen many stage adaptations of this story. This is simply the best adaptation and production of this timeless classic that I have seen.
Most of the actors have multiple roles within the production, playing two or three different characters, but you wouldn’t know it. Seamless costume changes and great acting by the cast wraps you into the story, and holds your attention. It’s the sign of a great cast when they do their job so well, you don’t realize that the ensemble is as small as it is. Young’s performance as Scrooge is spot on – the right combination of frugality and cruelty in the beginning, and ending the night where he should be, humbled and joyful. In fact, the entire cast hit every note, literary and musical, spot on – just as the story should be.
Creative staging with rotating set pieces made the production feel large without overwhelming the audience with visual clutter.
Ultimately, A Christmas Carol is a story about a lost soul fixated on the greedy pursuit of wealth, being sent on a journey and course correction before it is too late. It is a story about redemption.
I admit I am biased believing that everyone should read A Christmas Carol at least once per holiday season. I’ll amend this in saying you should really go see this play at the Upper Canada Playhouse, and maybe read the story another time — you’ll be glad you went.
But don’t wait too long to see the show, it only runs at the playhouse until December 21.
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