A Christmas Carol, the Tradition Continues

by Pa Rock

Proud Grandpa

Yesterday the Macy family of Roeland Park, Kansas, and Pa Rock continued a family tradition that began on December 16^th, 2016.  It was on that date nearly seven years ago that   Tim and Erin, and little Olive, who had just turned five, and I went to see the KC Rep’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” for the very first time.  Over the years we have gone to seven productions of the same play and never tired of it.  (The play was not presented live in 2020 due to the pandemic.). Sully began attending with us two years ago in 2021.  This year we attended a matinee performance, a first for our group.
 
We always get our tickets just as soon as they go on sale, and that ensures that we have great seats.  This year we were at front row center, just feet from Jacob Marley when he rose suddenly through the floor of the stage.  I think the whole group was startled!  (Sully could have almost reached out and touched the chained ghost from where he was sitting!)
 
This is the forty-second year that the KC Rep has produced “A Christmas Carol,” and while the overall story follows the Dickens’ novel closely, each year a few changes are made to keep things interesting.   The people in our group all seemed to think that this year’s rendition was the best one that we have attended.  
 
The authentic sets and costumes, along with the artificial snow and fog, bring Victorian London to life, and the strolling city residents and ragamuffins move flawlessly about the complicated set, which features a rotating center stage with multiple stairs, and shift seamlessly from dialogue to beautiful Christmas carols and back again.  And the ghosts somehow all come across as true and frightening witnesses to Ebenezer Scrooge’s wasted life. 
 
The transformation of Scrooge is, of course, the core of the story, and it is highlighted through the commentary of a delightful narrator.
 
Dickens’ story has an enduring and powerful message for the holiday season, and the KC Rep continues to do a wonderful job of communicating the classic tale.  I hope that our family group is able to return and enjoy it for many years to come.  “A Christmas Carol” never grows old!
 
Thank you, KC Rep, for continuing to make the Christmas season so special!

(Post Script:  Rosie and I are heading home to West Plains as you are probably reading this.)