Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”

One of the best and most thrilling evenings of theatre I had in 2018 was seeing Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) in a one-man version of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story, A Christmas Carol. 

This was riveting theatre that found Mays giving one of his finest performances ever. That’s saying a lot. I saw both of his Tony Award-winning performances. Perhaps there isn’t anything Mays cannot do.

From the moment he entered the stage through to the end of A Christmas Carol, I hung on every last word, every gesture and every character he presented. This is an epic performance not-to-be-missed.

It didn’t hurt that Mays was cloaked in a production that was exciting and creative from director Michael Arden (Once on This Island). Arden returns to direct this film. Mays, Arden and Susan Lyons adapted the story.

On the Stage will stream the show throughout the holidays. This is a newly filmed performance of A Christmas Carol. I have not seen it yet, but am wholly confident that the film will only enhance all that made this production so compelling on stage.

Multiple theaters around the country are participating in A Christmas Carol. As the show was originally developed and produced at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, the link in the opening paragraph goes to their website.

The runtime is 91 minutes. Tickets are $50 with an additional $7.50 in service charges. Your ticket allows you to watch the show for 24 hours.

Photo: Jefferson Mays in A Christmas Carol (Photo by Chris Whitaker/Courtesy Geffen Playhouse)