Author: /u/feed_ur_soul

Hey Houston.

I am a local Houston resident and an avid theater/arts enthusiast. This past weekend was the third time that I went to watch “A Christmas Carol” at the Alley Theater (saw this in 2018 and 2019). I wish I could say I was happy with the new rendition of “A Christmas Carol” however, unfortunately, that is not the case. I considered not writing this review and forgetting about the show entirely, but I think it is important to share honest and constructive criticism for viewers.

After having seen two previous performances of this show, I was more than excited when this show was brought back to the Alley Theater. I brought my wife to watch this show for the first time and I told her how amazing the last two shows have been. However, as soon as the show started, I knew this show was not the same show I watched in 2018/2019. The new rendition of “A Christmas Carol” is disappointing in many ways than one. The lead actor, Mr. David Rainey, is a phenomenal actor, but his talent is completely wasted in this new rendition of A Christmas Carol. The past two performances of A Christmas Carol have been absolutely spell-binding. I loved every single moment of the old show. The story of Scrooge is a holiday classic that reminds us of what is important in life. The pacing of the old show is wonderful and you truly feel like you are in Scrooge’s room on Christmas eve as he is haunted by three ghosts.

This new show seems rushed and does not give you a Christmas vibe at all (random techno dance sequences to try and squeeze a laugh from the audience? What does that have to do with Christmas?). The old show was more than 2 hours long with an intermission in between. We paid the same price for the new rendition and it was over within 1 HOUR AND 15 MINUTES. The new show ran through the story like it was rushing to finish as quickly as possible. I could not believe my eyes when the actors started coming on stage to say good night. What was running through my mind the whole time was “that was it?” And the fact that the first ghost does not even have a chain (it was a “pretend chain”), I mean, what is happening? It seemed like there was no money in the budget this year for a show. It also felt like the actors did not have enough time to properly rehearse this performance. I honestly felt like I paid money to watch some sort of rehearsal. And the rehearsal was not a good rehearsal.

I think there is a reason the original Christmas Carol show has been successfully running for 15 years at the Alley Theater. They say don’t fix what isn’t broken, and I think it was a very bad decision to change this classic Christmas play. I don’t think I would go back to watch this show if they decide to change it again next year, it was just BAD. Any thoughts from people who have seen this show previously who actually enjoyed the new rendition?