A Christmas Carol (1988 play)
A Christmas Carol | |
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![]() Window card for original Broadway production, 1991 | |
Written by | Charles Dickens Adapted by Patrick Stewart |
Based on | A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens |
Date premiered | 1987 |
Place premiered | Mirfield, West Yorkshire |
Original language | English |
Genre | Drama/Monodrama |
A Christmas Carol is a
Stewart was originally inspired to create the adaptation during the production of the 1986 film Lady Jane. It is performed without costumes or props, and has Stewart playing more than 30 characters. Critics have praised Stewart's portrayal and compared them to the readings performed by Dickens during the 19th century. A film adaptation of the play, with Stewart reprising his role, aired on TNT in 1999,directed by David Jones and co-starring Richard E. Grant.
Background
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English writer Charles Dickens, first published on 19 December 1843.[1] It has been adapted into a variety of media, with the first theater production taking place in London within six weeks of publication. The run lasted for 40 nights before transferring to the Park Theatre in New York City. In 1853, Dickens began to perform the story itself in public, performing each of the characters himself without props or costume changes. He continued to make these occasional recitals until his final public performance on 15 March 1870.[2]
Patrick Stewart first became influenced by the story during the production of his 1986 film Lady Jane. In a break between filming, he discovered that he had read all the newspapers and magazines he had available in his hotel. However, it had a small library available to guests. Stewart picked up an old copy of A Christmas Carol, having realised that while he was familiar with the story, he had never read it. He compared the major theme of redemption in the story to those he had previously seen in the works of William Shakespeare.[3]
Production
Stewart began developing an adaptation of the story to be performed in a one-man show. The then-three-hour performance was only performed in public at the parish church in
During the course of the play, Stewart acts as more than 30 characters.
He performed the play at Caltech's Beckman Auditorium during several Christmas seasons. Stewart then took the play to New York City in 1991 for 16 performances. The success of that run resulted in him receiving the
Reception
Following the start of the initial New York run in 1991, Mel Gussow wrote for The New York Times that Stewart's one-man version restored A Christmas Carol to the original "full narrative splendor" as well as showing both the humour and humanity present.[11] Stewart's performance was compared to the original Dickens recitals, and the reviewer said that it made them want to see the actor perform other Dickens classics too.[11] Nancy Churnin reviewed the play for the Los Angeles Times in 1993, saying that Stewart was "able to fill the stage all the more richly with his own penetrating and versatile voice, his mastery of gesture, and facial expressions that instantly summon fear, delight, longing, and awe."[7] He added that the actor's performance prevented Ebenezer Scrooge from being seen as a "caricature" but instead as an "Everyman whose sins are present in most of us to varying degrees."[7]
Critics reviewing the 2005 run in London at the
Awards
- 1992 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show[14]
- 1994 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment[15]
- 2007 Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Solo Performance[16]
See also
- Adaptations of A Christmas Carol
- A Christmas Carol (1999), also starring Patrick Stewart
References
- ^ "This Day in History". History.com. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Francis, Clive (5 December 2012). "Ten things you never knew about Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stephens, Lynne (January 1992). "A Captain's Carol". Starlog (174): 25–29.
- ^ Jackson, Kevin (29 December 1993). "The final frontier: Kevin Jackson talks to Patrick Stewart, better known as commander of the Starship Enterprise, about his Christmas Carol at the Old Vic". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b Stephens, Lynne (January 1993). "Captain's Holiday". Starlog: 35–39.
- ^ McDonnell, David (25 October 2015). "Starlog Cover Circle Blues". StarTrek.com. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b c Churnin, Nancy (11 December 1993). "THEATER REVIEW : The Power of One : Patrick Stewart's dramatic reading of 'A Christmas Carol' doesn't rely on makeup, costume changes, a backdrop or much in the way of props to fill the stage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b Nathan, John (15 November 2005). "Patrick Stewart to Bring A Christmas Carol Back to London Stage". Playbill. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b Simonson, Robert (17 November 2001). "Patrick Stewart Returns to Broadway with One-Man A Christmas Carol, Dec. 24–30". Playbill. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b Lefkowitz, David (29 December 2001). "Last Chance: Stewart's Solo Christmas Carol Leaves Marquis, Dec. 30". Playbill. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b Gussow, Mel (20 December 1991). "Review/Theater; Scrooge, Ghosts, Tiny Tim and Patrick Stewart". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Szalwinska, Maxie (13 December 2005). "Stewart makes Dickens the star". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b Gardner, Lyn (8 December 2005). "A Christmas Carol". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Patrick Stewart's life before Star Trek". BBC News. 30 December 2000. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976–2008" (PDF). The Society of London Theatre. 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "2007 Results". WhatsOnStage.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2015.