Your reviews of St Vincent Health presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL
St Vincent Health presents Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol opened at The Indiana Repertory Theatre on November 21, 2009. Reviews are now closed for this production.
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St Vincent Health presents Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol opened at The Indiana Repertory Theatre on November 21, 2009. Reviews are now closed for this production.
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There are 28 Comments to "Your reviews of St Vincent Health presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL"
I bring my freshman Honors English class to see A Christmas Carol every year because it is a wonderful presentation of Charles Dickens’ writing, and so enjoyable to watch. My students, most of whom have never been to the IRT or even a live play, are excited and fascinated by the technical aspects, the music, the acting, costumes….it is a special shared experience every time.
We attended the 5 p.m. show 12/20 as our family Christmas outing and couldn’t have been more pleased! Well, yes…had the actors had the opportunity for individual bows at curtain call and had come back for a second bow since the audience response was so positive. We appreciated a short show since this season is so very busy. The narrative “telling” of the story by the cast was brilliant and the stage set/prop use fabulous. All roles were well cast, esp Charles Goad as Mr. Scrooge; he did not over play his character. We laughed, we cried, we applaude…then vowed to make this an annual event. Thanks to cast, crew, all involved for adding to our holiday season.
We missed last years production but had been 2004-2007.
Enjoyed this years production. Our fifteen year old liked the condensed version. Our ten year old fidgeted somewhat toward the end. We had enjoyed the short break between acts as it allowed the children to get a treat and we to browse the shop. In addition, we missed the singing in the beginning with Scrooge approaching through the audience and other deleted parts such as Scrooge’s poignant narration of his dance with his first love. We did not like the Ghost of Christmas Past as much as previous years either. Thanks and Happy Holidays.
As long-time fans of this production, we missed so many things from this sliced-and-diced performance! We assume that the shorter performance was due to budget cuts, but we hope to see the full performance return next year!
We missed watching Scrooge come through the audience at the beginning, and falling asleep in his chair before intermission.
We missed the young caroler at Scrooge’s keyhole.
We missed all the songs and dances that were dropped.
We missed Belinda Cratchitt hiding in the closet.
We missed Scrooge’s evening meal. “No bread!” and later seeing Belle and her new family.
We missed all the scenes with Dick Wilkins.
We also missed the actors that have played Bob Cratchitt and Christmas Past in previous years, but the replacements did fine jobs as well.
But there were some nice new touches this year. The Fezziwigs played off of each other perfectly. We loved the laundress and her cigar. We were so pleased to see Christmas Present return, and Peter Cratchitt is getting to be an old pro.
We wouldn’t miss it for the world! But we want the whole production back.
Our family has attended the Christmas Carol performance by the IRT for the past 5 years. This year was wonderful as usual, and we had a good time. I have to say, though, that I didn’t really care for the shortened version as well as I liked the original length. I assume it was shortened to economize during this time of reduced budgets, and I understand. I hope, though, when better times return we can see the whole thing. I think you should at least bring back the “two smaller Cratchits” and Belle as a happily married woman next year! I suppose the bit with Dick Wilkins is a bit grim and could be done without. I do like the scene with the stock brokers debating whether or not to attend the funeral – they are so creepy!
IRT’s performance of A Christmas Carol has been part of our family tradition for nearly a decade. Our group of family and friends has grown to a party of nearly 20 over the years. This year’s abbreviated performance was quite disappointing. The play seemed rushed, and many memorable scenes were missing. We have come to expect, even anticipate, the changes to the play from year-to-year, but the drastic changes incorporated into this year’s performance left us apologizing to our invited guests. If you’ve never seen the play before, it is still worth seeing. If you are a repeat customer, you may want to consider a different celebration this year.
I absolutely enjoyed the evening performance of Christmas Carol. The set was beautiful and the actors all did a wonderful job. This was my first year of attending this play at the IRT and am looking forward to next year. Thank you!
i think the cast was very well chosen especially tiny tim (he was so cute!), and scrooge. i wish the play had been the longer version for it seemed a little rushed but it was very good. i usually have a hard time concentrating on these kinds of plays but i was able to watch the whole thing and enjoy it. i think the background you did use was great but i really do wish you would have used more props to go along with all of the scenes. the lack of props was a bit of a letdown. audiences like to see the props not imagine them! good job overall!
It was a very unique production! The actors was amazing and tiny tim was so cute. It would’ve been better if there was more people for the characters instead of seeing the same people as different people each scene. There seemed to be too much narration going on to understand what was happening at the beginning. It got better in the end. The actors seemed very enthusiastic about this play. I thought you guys did an overall great job at producing this play and it was well put together. You could tell a lot of effort was put into it. I Hope to see it next year!
Wonderful production I genuinely enjoyed this invaluable opportunity to experience the arts. I would like to come next year.
I thought that the Christmas Carol was very well played out. Although, the way the actors were describing what they were doing instead of acting it out may have confused some of the audience, especially the younger crowd. The actors were very well played out, they did their best to intrigue the audience, and they did so in a good way. Tiny Tim was the cutest little thing, and i think Scruge did a great job of acting true to his character.
The Cratchit kids were very good! All of the actors were very well cast! I saw it with my 7th grade class. Tiny Tim was adorable!! He was very dedicated as well as the two other kids, Belinda and Peter. You kids have some fans at my school! The questions you answered helped a lot with understanding the story more.
u guys should hav stayed for more questions
y wasnt schrooge there?
That was teally good but you needed more props and scenery. And tiny tim was really cute and has a future. she will be really famous someday stay with it!
Wonderful production! Our fourth-grade students genuinely enjoyed this invaluable opportunity to experience the arts. Your after-show answering questions and divulging further information about the staging, costumes, etc. was very beneficial for our students. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity that our students might not otherwise receive.
While I understand the logistical and economic reasons for staging a 90 minute version of A Christmas Carol, artistic consideration went out the window. The heart of the show was left on the cutting room floor. IRT’s A Christmas Carol has been a part of our family’s holiday tradition for many years and we left this year’s production disappointed, feeling like we were given an appetizer and told it had to suffice for dinner. Stage this shortened version for school groups and give your general audiences the full production. Please!
That being said, the production values hit the high level of everything staged by IRT. While Ben Tebbe’s Bob Cratchit lacked the life of previous Cratchits, Milicent Wright was marvelous in each of her roles, and the rest of the cast stepped up to their roles as well.
Here’s hoping the full-length production returns next year. We’re not sure if we’ll continue our tradition with this shortened version.
The new, shorter version is bit of a let down for long-time IRT “Christmas Carol” fans. Compared to the longer version, the short version feels breathless – as if the actors are racing through their lines. It seems that the parts that got cut were some of our favorites, and some of the parts that gave the play such a joyous feel.
The adults in our family have been IRT season subscribers since 1990, and the kids have enjoyed many fine Mainstange and Discovery productions. Our family has made IRT’s production of “A Christmas Carol” a reliable annual holiday event. We look forward to it all year long.
After taking in this year’s version, we compared notes after the play. The comments were unanimous: “Rushed…sparse…De-contented.” The play is still good, of course, and it is probably a better version for squirmy school audiences, but for “Christmas Carol” connoisseurs, this was “A Christmas Carol – Lite.” An appropriate production for a recession, I guess.
Give some thought to bringing back the longer version for next year. And thanks for doing “A Christmas Carol” with such enthusiasm every year. IRT re-thinks the production every year, so it never gets old. Thanks.
Did not like the shorter version of the play.
Short version, long version – I’m just glad Charles Goad is back as Scrooge! His attitutudes are just contemporary enough to underscore that this story’s message is still relevant to our time. He is a three-demensional Scrooge with all the anger, grimness, humor, & joy that the part requires and he excells at comedy and is really quite emotional. We’ve been coming to IRT’s A Christmas Carol for years and were glad to see him once again and yes, we did, miss the highs and lows of the longer version but were not disappointed with the new incarnation. The added treat was David Alan Anderson back as Christmas Present! Missed Rob Johannsen in the cast but the new Cratchit was wonderfully refreshing with his optimistic outlook on life and his loving relationship with his family.
Our family has made it a tradition to see the IRT’s presentation of “A Christmas Carol” each year. We were once again pleased and entertained. However, we were a bit disappointed at this year’s “condensed” version with the smaller cast and the parts that were cut out from previous years. We usually see the play in December, so I am not sure if the changes were due to a different presentation in November or whether budgetary concerns have impacted the presentation.
I saw A Christmas Carol with my family and loved it! I was saddend by the loss of so many scenes but I felt as if the play flowed nicely. The most touching scene was the Bob Cratchit scence when they are morning for the loss of Tiny Tim. It was so magical as I saw tears roll down the actor’s faces. Seeing their tears shimmer in the light made me cry too. The Fred house scene was hillarios! I loved the Plump Sister in the lace tucker and the Sister with the roses!!!!
Washington Junior High in Daviess County loved St Vincent Health presents A Christmas Carol.
IRT did an excellent job of presenting this classic Christmas story. It provided us with a great opportunity to have the students compare the novel with the stage production. It also provided an excellent opportunity for enrichment for our honors students. In southwestern Indiana there are not a lot of opportunities for our students to attend stage productions. IRT does a great job in providing this type of experience for our students.
IPS 39 Loved St Vincent Health presents A Christmas Carol!
This was, as always, a wonderful production. It is so well put together, from the scenery to the actors. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to bring our students at such a reasonable price.
Doe Creek Middle School students loved St Vincent Health presents A Christmas Carol:
We enjoy coming to the IRT each year for “A Christmas Carol.” The performance this year was outstanding, and we appreciate the discounted rate at which our students are able to purchase tickets. Please email us when we are able to reserve seats for next year. Thanks!
Here are some more comments from audience members after seeing St Vincent Health presents A Christmas Carol:
“Very creative. I’ve seen stage plays before, but this was a very creative show.”
“Excellent!”
“Great!”
“It was amazing how the show flowed from one scene to the next and how the cast was able to play the multiple roles. It was a bit ‘darker’ than last year’s show, but still true to the story.”
“We enjoyed it very much.”
Here are some more comments from audience members after seeing St Vincent Health presents A Christmas Carol:
“Wonderful show!” “Thoroughly enjoyed it!”
“I really enjoyed the music, because I love musicals. Even though this wasn’t a musical the music made it special.
“Great show!”
Here are some comments from audience members after seeing St Vincent Health presents A Christmas Carol:
“Excellent!”
“We loved it!”
“Wonderful show!”
“We really enjoyed it.”
From indysuz13 on Twitter:
Loved A Christmas Carol @IRTLive today #Indianapolis. My 10yo daughter and friends really enjoyed talking to the cast after the show