Humbugs vs. sugar plums
Who's your holiday favorite: Dickens' classic or Tchaikovsky's masterpiece?
It's hard to imagine Christmas going by without hearing least one "Bah! Humbug."
Though "A Christmas Carol" has become a Chicago tradition, it didn't always used to be that way says the Goodman's Roche Schulfer.
"It was always a struggle to get people to come out to theater during the holiday season," he says. "When we first produced 'A Christmas Carol' in 1978, only a few other regional theaters were doing it and everyone told us we were crazy."
First published in 1843, A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas is perhaps Charles Dickens most famous work. Cheapskate Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by his dead business partner and three other ghosts, leading him to an epiphany about the joys of giving and celebrating the season.
The Goodman's production initially featured a script by Barbara Field that included Charles Dickens as its narrator.
In 1984, the theater began using an adaptation by Greg Mosher and Larry Slone that used dialogue written by Dickens for the story and not much else. For the past 17 years, the Goodman has been using an adaptation by playwright Tom Creamer.
"The four ghosts are the big beats of the piece and I wrote the whole adaptation around each of them," Creamer says.
And since the story is essentially a ghost story, Creamer didn't want to shy away from scarier elements.
"You need to be scared because Scrooge is suppose to be scared," he says. "If the ghosts aren't scary, then why is Scrooge scared?
The show is best suited for 7 and up.
Why it endures: "There comes a point in all our lives were we have to come to terms with our past so we can move forward," Creamer says. "Scrooge's story is something that many adults can certainly identify with."
Scrooge-o-m "Jonathan Wier is a mean one," Creamer says of this year's Scrooge. "There is a scene where Scrooge's nephew finds the stove cold to the touch and fills it up with coal. Most Scrooge's just yell at him, but Jim's actually pulls the burning coals out of the fireplace; such is the lack of warmth in his character."
Most frugal aspect of the production: None. It features lavish costumes and sets and a large cast, none of which comes too cheap.
"It's accessible but still a classic," says Joffrey Ballet assistant artistic director Adam Sklute. "And children really seem to relate to seeing performers their same age on stage."
The ballet is based on the 1816 children's story "Nussknacker und Mausekonig" "(The Nutcracker and the Mouse King") by E.T.A Hoffman. It features Peter Tchaikovsky's famous score set to a story adapted by Alexandre Dumas based on a libretto by Marius Petipa.
The plot centers on a little German girl (named Marie in Hoffman's original and Clara in the ballet) who is given a nutcracker doll for Christmas by her godfather, Drosselmeyer. Clara's brother breaks the toy in a jealous fit. Drosselmeyer repairs the doll and Clara falls asleep under the Christmas tree with the doll nestled in her arms.
When she awakes, the nutcracker has come to life and is protecting her from a band of invading mice. Both mouse king and the nutcracker are killed. The nutcracker is actually a prince who has had a spell cast on him. Clara's tears not only revive the nutcracker, but break the spell. Clara and her prince go off to the land of the sugar plum fairy.
The Joffrey production was conceived by founder Robert Joffrey and was very dear to him, says Adam Sklute, associate artistic director for the Joffrey.
"Joffrey was born on Christmas Eve and he always wanted a 'Nutcrcacker' production for his company," Sklute says. "Our production is filled with many of Joffrey's own personal touches."
Joffrey set the piece in Victorian America instead of Germany. The party dances seen in the beginning are based on traditional American folk dances. Many antiques seen in the Act One party scene are from Joffrey's collection or are replicas of antiques he owned. (Joffrey died in 1988.)
The cast includes 40 ensemble members and 60 children. Tchaikovsky's familiar holiday score is performed live by the Chicago Sinfonietta, and several children's choirs will sing the choral parts of the score.
Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the piece. Sklute, who was in the first production in several ensemble roles, says he still finds one part of the ballet thrilling after all these years.
"I love the enormous battle between the mice and the toy soldiers" he says. "And, after Clara has vanquished the king by hitting him on the head with her shoe, the stage fills with a layer of fog and becomes a snowy grove at sunrise. It's so beautiful, almost as if everything has been made clean with the snow."
When: In previews, opens Nov. 26 and runs through Dec. 24.
Tickets: $25 adults, $12.50 children 12 and under.
Call: (847) 577-2121.
How it's different: Now in it's third year at Metropolis, this version incorporates traditional Christmas carols into the script (making it a musical) and the show has been trimmed to make it more family friendly.
"We didn't want anything that would scare the little ones away," says director Robin M. Hughes. "If your kids can handle a Disney movie, they can handle this show."
Some of the more frightening elements of Dickens' ghost story have been shortened (Jacob Marley and his chains are still present, but not for as long) and the Ghost of Christmas Future, usually portrayed as a grim reaper, has been changed to be more in tune with Christmas (and not Halloween).
Scrooge-o-meter: "Stephen Connell is our Scrooge and he's a teacher by trade," Hughes says. "He says one of the hardest things for him is to be mean, but I have to say he's doing a very good job at it."
Most frugal aspect of the show: "We have finally recouped the costs of our set this year, so I'd have to say that is the most frugal thing," Hughes says.
Where: Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph.
When: Nov. 26, Dec. 8-Jan. 6.
Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students and seniors.
Call: (312) 742-8497 or www.dcatheater.org.
How it's different: Now in its second year, the show consists of a cast of three clowns who play with elements and themes from Dickens directly and indirectly. "The audience really helps us shape our material" says 500 Clown member Adrian Danzig. "It's very much a live event without relying too much on audience participation."
Scrooge-o-meter: The show amusingly sums up the moral of Dickens tale in one song, "Don't Be Such an A**hole."
Why it endures: "There is this veneer to Christmas where we walk around with complete smiles when in actuality it is a fairly hard time for most people," Danzig says. "It's the best day of the year when you're a kid, but as you grow older you realize it's actually more complicated. Our show tries to show Christmas as a complicated, human event."
Most frugal aspect of the production: "The Storefront Theatre told us they were no longer going to provide us with programs, so we decided to view it as an opportunity," Danzig says with a laugh. "We have scroogified the moment and made our own programs using recycled materials."
<Where: Hinsdale Central Auditorium, 55th and Grant; Center for the Performing Arts at Governors State University, One University Parkway, University Park; Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena, Aurora.
When: Hinsdale: Nov. 25-26; GSU: Dec. 9; Paramount: Dec. 16.
Tickets: Hinsdale: $32 adults, $27 children and seniors; GSU: $27-$36 adults and $22-$31 children; Paramount: $28 adults, $22 children.
Call: Hinsdale: (630) 769-1199; GSU: (708) 235-2222; Paramount: (630) 896-6666.
Cast size: 85-90, including guest artists from American Ballet Theatre.
What makes it different: Choreographer Sergey Kozadayev trained at Russia's prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy and he takes a decidedly classical approach to the classic. "I've really tried to bring it back to this sweet story that is sort of like Beauty and the Beast," Kozadayev says. "Only little Marie can see beyond his ugly mask and bring the prince to life."
"We also end ours in the land of the sugar pum fairy," adds Salt Creek's Jan Templeton. "Most others have her wake as if it has all been a dream."
Why it endures: "In America, Christmas is 'The Nutcracker' and 'The Nutcracker' is Christmas," Kozadayev says. "I think it beats Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' hands down."
"Audiences never seem to tire of it it," adds Templeton. "It allows you to escape the everyday and venture into a fantasy land just like Clara. It's an enjoyable journey."
Where: Emerald City Theatre, 2540 N. Lincoln.
When: Nov. 25-Dec. 31.
Tickets: $13 adults, $10 children.
Call: (773) 935-6100.
Cast:8 adults, four children accompanied by recorded music tracks.
What makes it different: Now in its second year, the show is a rock musical that places the events in a contemporary setting and tells the story through another character's eyes, says Dado, who is directing the production.
"Clara is going off to perform her first ballet and is given a nutcracker, her brother Fritz breaks the nutcracker and has to stay home," Dado says.
Why it endures: "It's an interactive story," Dado says. "Kids just bounce in their seats for the whole hour."