Saturday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.—RUTLAND—Begin your holiday season with Shakespeare on Main Street (SoMS) as they present this timeless holiday classic in intimate chamber style on Saturday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m., at the Brick Box/Paramount Theatre, 30 Center St., Rutland.
In “A Christmas Carol,” Dickens explores the morality of the love of money over the love of family and people. Scrooge sees the way his life has slipped into a basically unhappy and lonely old age where he has lost the possibility of love and friendship. This holiday masterwork is a story of compassion, forgiveness and redemption as Dickens proposes that connecting individuals to one another is what ultimately corrects the social injustice created by capitalism.
Chamber theater is a style of theater in which the actors may or may not memorize their lines, but place emphasis on vocal expression to help the audience understand the story rather than visual storytelling such as sets, costumes, intricate blocking, and movement. This style of performance of literature was initially lauded because it emphasized hearing a written text as a new way to understand literature.
Director Gary Meitrott adapts chamber style to include costuming and movement by the actors, adding a lively and creative element to the performance. With simple, yet elegant Victorian furniture and costuming, five actors bring all the characters to life, uniquely telling the story with Dickens’ own words.
Meitrott, a lover of classic literature and founder of SoMS, said, “Even though we are all connected electronically, we are also isolated as individuals. ‘A Christmas Carol’ rings truer than ever in its lesson to give and to love with every moment we have.”
The cast features Evan Breault, David Kiefner, Ken Kilb, Jonathan White and Meghan Wood.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and military, and $5 for children under age 12. For more information, visit shakespeareonmainstreet.org.
Photo courtesy of Shakespeare on Main Street
The Shakespeare on Main Street cast of actors readies for the annual production of “A Christmas Carol.”
