A Christmas Carol Blog

By: Jordan Meade and Kai Crowe

 

Theatre In the Park has hit the DPAC stage again with its timeless show, “A Christmas Carol”! Over the years, A Christmas Carol has won numerous awards, and tonight we finally got to see it for ourselves. 

 

Tonight, before the show, we both had two jobs that were a wild trip and ultimately an unforgettable experience. Between the golf cart trips and swarms of families picking up Playbills, it was amazing to see how many people were as excited to see the show as we were. Many guests were decked out in holiday attire, like Christmas sweaters, themed dresses, and even some hats! Even though it was pretty cold and occasionally rainy, spirits were high as everyone settled into the theatre.

Pictured: Kai and Lynn, the volunteer he shadowed!

 

Pictured: Jordan enjoying the go-cart service shadowing!

 

This was truly a show we wished we could take mental pictures of to remember them forever. It’s certainly not your typical Christmas Carol musical- Theatre in the Park has added many, many pop culture references to appeal to all age groups. Our personal favorites included references to “It’s Corn!”, Stranger Things, Elvis, and Taylor Swift. The show also included local humor, including references to NC State, Chapel Hill, and Fuquay- all of which absolutely hit their target audience.

 

Pictured: “A Christmas Carol”’s Playbill, plus their signature pre-show projection display.

 

The visuals throughout the musical were a stunning companion to the equally beautiful songs. Each performer, even in ensemble roles, appeared to be fully fleshed out characters. The set design was detailed yet not overcrowded or unbalanced, with many of the technical elements like fog and use of lighting pushing the show to the next level. On top of that, there’s even a moment with audience interaction- but we’ll leave those a secret, in case you happen to see the show for yourself!

 

In Particular, the actor playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge stuck out to us. Being the lead role in a show already sets the bar high in and of itself- but somehow, he surpassed this with each new movement or action. The 49 years of experience between Ira David Wood III and Ira David Wood IV as Scrooge definitely shows, and you can tell that every actor has an amazing time committing to their roles.

 

Combining a tender, heartwarming story with comedy that everyone can enjoy truly made this show like no other. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season and we are thrilled we got to experience it together! If you’d like to see it too, be sure to buy tickets soon- this show only stays until the 18th of December!

 

Happy holidays!!

-Jordan and Kai :)