Fred W.
Yelp
A Humbug Holiday: The Geva Theatre's "Christmas Carol" is a Woke, Wasted Tradition
My son and I have cherished attending the Geva Theater's presentation of A Christmas Carol for 20 years. When my two grandsons were old enough to appreciate this timeless classic, the tradition became even more special. We were seriously disappointed in 2024's production, but we decided to give it another chance; once again, it fell short.
story's traditional imagery and tone
The Geva Theatre Center, once a beacon of reliable holiday magic, has tragically dismantled its cherished annual production of A Christmas Carol in favor of a modern, politically charged spectacle that is less "Bah, Humbug" and more just plain "Humbug." Harrison David Rivers' new adaptation is a cynical exercise in checking diversity boxes while simultaneously dismantling the very soul of Dickens' timeless story. This production isn't just a misstep; it's pure trash.
From the moment the curtain rises, the production's failings are obvious. The set design is painfully minimalist, bland, and lacking in any of the Victorian charm or festive atmosphere that long-time patrons have come to expect. It is a stark, empty canvas that perfectly reflects the script's emotional void.
The acting, across the board, is a profound disappointment. Michael Preston's Scrooge, while likely intending to show complexity, comes across as a buffoonish, bumbling figure, draining the character of his necessary initial terror and subsequent joyous redemption. His journey feels unearned and shallow. Equally disappointing is the portrayal of Fred, whose jolly disposition is rendered as irritating and simple-minded, contributing to a general air of incompetence rather than genuine warmth.
The most egregious changes are reserved for the spectral visitors, which feel like a forced, "woke DEI agenda" checklist rather than genuine character choices:
The Ghost of Christmas Present appears as a jarring, out-of-place drag queen, a gratuitous choice that serves no narrative purpose and shatters the story's traditional imagery and tone.
The Ghost of Christmas Future, traditionally a silent, ominous specter of death, is given a voice and turned into a talkative, preachy guide, completely removing the powerful, silent dread of the original text. The silence was the point; its removal is a narrative disaster.
The adaptation makes fundamental, ill-advised alterations to key characters. Tiny Tim is no longer the "Tiny", sickly, crippled boy whose frailty is central to the story's pathos. In this version, the physical disability is entirely removed and replaced with a generic, non-visible respiratory illness, a change that softens the emotional punch of Scrooge's potential impact on the boy's fate.
This Geva production strips away the classic carols, the rich atmosphere, and the genuine emotion of Dickens' work, replacing it with a hollow, self-satisfied shell of a show that prioritizes modern political talking points over effective storytelling. The result is a dreary, uninspired, and frankly insulting production that fails the source material and the audience alike. Save your money and your holiday spirit for a production that actually respects tradition and good theatre craft.
