December 2 – 23, 2023 – Holiday Show

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol

Based on ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens / Created by WONDERHEADS Theatre

Show Info

Co-Directed and Adapted by Kate Braidwood and Andrew Phoenix

Developed in Ensemble by Andrew Phoenix, Kate Braidwood, and Jessica Hickman

“Fantastic, in every sense of the word.” Cincinnati Enquirer

“If Pixar ever decides to go into the theatre business, they better call Wonderheads first.” Calgary Herald

Praised by the CBC as “Pure magic” and the Globe and Mail as “Powerful, surprising and moving,” these acclaimed theatrical imagineers are bringing their captivating holiday masterpiece, A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol, to the Belfry.

This astonishing production features glowing ghosts, 10-foot-tall puppets, and not a word of dialogue. There are lots of treats in store for audiences as they are whisked away with Ebenezer Scrooge on his magical Christmas Eve adventure. Prepare to laugh, cry, and be utterly enchanted this holiday season!

The WONDERHEADS have spent more than a decade touring the world, from Alaska to Hawaii and Shanghai to Los Angeles – to critical acclaim and sold-out audiences who describe the experience as watching animation come to life. Winners of five Critics’ Choice Awards and twelve Best of Fest awards, they step beyond words and into the hearts and imaginations of every audience member.

Why I Chose This Play

I saw this production a couple of years ago—and fell in love with it. A Christmas Carol is a piece that I have been intimately familiar with for over 30 years—and I was so impressed with their ability to tell this story without words. It’s a magical production—and incredibly moving. And now that the Wonderheads are a local company—I felt they belonged on our stage—and should be seen by our audiences! – Michael Shamata

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol runs 70 minutes with no intermission. Contains brief use of fog/haze and flashing lights.

Ages 7+ (some spooky moments)

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol is generously sponsored by

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Miserly businessman Ebenezer SCROOGE cherishes money above all else. Despite the efforts of his employee Bob CRATCHIT and his nephew FRED, Scrooge has no time for kindness, generosity, or the humbug of Christmas. However, on this fateful Christmas Eve Scrooge is visited by the spirit of Jacob MARLEY, his former business partner. Marley’s spirit warns Scrooge that he will be haunted three more times during the night and insists that Scrooge must change his coldhearted ways if he wishes to avoid Marley’s dark fate.

THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST appears in Marley’s wake and transports Scrooge into the memories of his youth, from his unhappy childhood to his later joyful apprenticeship with Mr. and Mrs. FEZZIWIG, and his one tender chance at love with the enchanting BELLE before greed overtakes him.

The second apparition, THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT, offers Scrooge a window into the holiday camaraderie he shuns, and a warm celebration in the Cratchit’s home despite poverty and the heartbreaking frailty of the Cratchit’s son TINY TIM.

The final apparition, THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME, shows Scrooge a devastating future in which Scrooge will at last be powerless, eternally chained, and unable to change fate.

Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning a new man intent on embracing his chance to celebrate the season, and to joyously engage in the world around him in the spirit of love, compassion, and gratitude.