A Christmas Carol at Drury Lane
Posted at 10:48 pm on December 3, 2011 by Farrah
A Christmas Carol, a dazzling annual holiday tradition entertaining thousands of children and families each year, will be presented from now through December 20 at Drury Lane Theatre. The timeless classic is directed by Scott Calcagno and features a cast of top Chicago actors. Drury Lane Theatre also offers families the special opportunity to have breakfast with Santa Claus on select performance dates (Dec. 10 and 17). This all-time favorite play is enhanced with a tapestry of many memorable carols and remains an exhilarating opportunity to introduce children to the arts.
A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who receives a Christmas Eve visit from
the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, warning him to mend his ways. During the night, three spirits appear before Scrooge showing him visions of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future to reveal the results of his selfish life. Scrooge promises to redeem himself and vows to honor the spirit of Christmas with all his heart, spreading good cheer, kindness and generosity to everyone he encounters.
The costumes and set of this play are amazing and do a good job of setting the scene of Victorian England. They say the show is condensed to be more appropriate for kids, but I think it was one of the best performances of this play I have ever seen. I will say, though, that I wouldn’t take anyone younger than 5 to see this show. And if your kids are easily spooked, this may not be the show for you. The costumes and special effects are SO good, that there are some scenes (Jacob Marley, the ghost of Christmas Future, etc..) that are a bit scary. Even I was kind of freaked out when they had the strobe light and the chains and the creepy ghost on stilts. My 3yr old had his face hidden in my shoulder for those parts. But for the most part, both my boys (3 and 5) loved it. It helped that the cast all came out at the end of the play to answer questions and show some of the tricks behind the special effects. They were fascinated by the “fake snow inside” and “how that scary ghost got so tall.”
Performances are at 10:00 a.m. with certain performances at 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. are scheduled (call the box office for specific details). The breakfast buffet package price for adults is $24.50 and $21.25 for children 12 and under. Show only tickets are available for $12 and a group rate of $10 per person is available for parties of 20 or more. For reservations, call (630) 530-0111 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.
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