A Christmas Carol
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards
I went to the Tuesday preview performance of A Christmas Carol. This is the 51st season that the Guthrie Theater has been producing this holiday classic. In addition to the beautiful display of Northern Lights that night, it was fun seeing so many Christmas sweaters and holiday Nordic sweaters being worn by the audience. Myself included.
I have seen A Christmas Carol at The Guthrie Theater a few times since I moved to the Twin Cities all those years ago. The current script/production has been being produced for the past 5 seasons. This years production is dedicated to Lavinia Jadhwani. She wrote this adaptation of the famous Charles Dickon’s story. Lavinia passed away from a battle with cancer in September 2025. I did see this version of A Christmas Carol in December 2024. I went back again this year in November 2025 because I knew of at least two the cast members. Once I started reading the program I realized this production was a who’s who of Twin Cities actors. Cast members that I have seen on the stages of the Twin Cities that are in A Christmas Carol are David Beach as Ebenezer Scrooge, Stephanie Anne Bertumen as Belle, John Catron as Fred, Nathaniel Fuller as Old Joe, Emily Gunyou Halaas as Charwoman, Charity Jones as Marley, Tyler Michaels King as Bob Cratchit, Daniel Petzold as Young Scrooge, Regina Marie Williams as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Nathan Huberty as Belle’s Husband & Ghost of Christmas Future, Eric Sharp as Ghost of Christmas Past and Max Wojtanowicz as Collector & Dick Wilkins and more make up this wonderful cast.
For my season tickets at the Guthrie Theater, I normally sit in the slope. For A Christmas Carol this year, I decided to sit in the center of the balcony. It felt like I was seeing things I didn’t see last year. Such as the interior of Scrooges vault. It was like a mini version of Scrooge McDuck’s vault. There was that much gold coins and bank notes. A fun a stylish moment in the play was when the ghost of Christmas past was arriving. The cast created the hands of a clock for 12am, 12:15am, 12:30am, 12:45am and 1:00am on the stage floor. I felt like that was new, but then again could have been where I was sitting that I was able to better see that elegant moment. Plus I was able to better see the clock on the clock tower during the play too.
What helps to make the story is the costumes by Toni-Leslie James. She takes us all back in time to London December 1843. The scenic design by Matt Saunder uses every inch of the thrust stage at the Guthrie. There’s a trap door, two revolving circles in the stage floor, and I don’t know how Marley appears and disappears. That was a great combination of stage design, lighting, and sound working together to create that moment on stage.
A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater is a great way to celebrate the 2025 holiday season. The play runs through December 28, 2025. Check out guthrietheater.org for tickets.
