Will Lyman and Bobbie Steinbach.
Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
Based on the story by Charles Dickens
Adaption by Steve Wargo
Musical Arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell
Directed By Steven Maler
Musical Direction By Dan Rodriguez
Choreography by John Lam
Dramaturgy by Natalie McKnight
Dialect and text coaching by Bryn Boice
Intimacy consultant: Lauren Cook
December 8 – 22, 2024
Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
219 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
Online playbill
Critique by Kitty Drexel
BOSTON — I have beef with A Christmas Carol. It makes Tiny Tim Cratchit into inspiration porn, a term invented by activist Stella Young to describe the objectification of disabled folks like me to inspire unmotivated abled people. Alas, there’s a longstanding theatre tradition of producing any odd number of A Christmas Carol variations for the December holidays, so I’m reminded of my dislike for Dickens’ story every year. It’s too bad because the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s production of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ was otherwise solid: good acting despite wobbly accents, an ensemble that worked together and had fun, elegant singing despite some wooden moments, unique costumes with small flourishes of modernity that still borrowed from the Victorian period, clever set design that utilized a hidden trap door, and tasty intermission snacks.
Tim’s character is inspiration porn for three ugly reasons: 1. Tim doesn’t have an autonomous voice or agency. He is his disability; 2. Tim’s joy for life is only an accomplishment because he’s disabled. Tim’s joy wouldn’t be inspirational if he was healthy or walked without a crutch; and, 3. The spirits objectify Tim to make Scrooge feel bad so he changes his life. Scrooge pities Tim for his disability, thus demeaning him, so the audience does too. We all know reducing people to their physical characteristics is wrong (i.g.: racism, homophobia, etc.). Yet somehow in 2024, it’s still okay for greater society to do it to disabled folks. Not on my watch.
The best production of A Christmas Carol I’ve ever witnessed was in 2012 at Gallaudet University, a private, federally chartered university for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. More than half of the actors in the production were deaf or hard of hearing. The other quarter to half of the actors could either hear or passed as hearing.
The troupe investigated Dickens’ tale to keep its morale intact but took the time to update its unsavory issues. The characters in this production had as much of an autonomous voice as the adaptation allowed. The fine actor who played Tim was inspiring for his artistic skill, not for overcoming his physical limitations*. My spouse and I left the theatre in awe of how the Gallaudet actors’ transformed Dicken’s story into a play that examined Scrooge’s poverty of spirit and also served the Gallaudet community’s accessibility as well as dramatic needs. There were staged interpreters, captions, seating arrangements, and the actors used masks, period costumes and the set glided into place with ease.
I mention all of this because accessibility and support for the disabled community require more than two trigger warnings and captions (although these help and are greatly appreciated). It means investigating even the most beloved of stories for racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc. and ableism. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has done some good work towards equity. Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ was a lovely but could be better. I do love a story about supernatural visitors terrorizing miserly rich people. Next year, let’s get everyone in on the fun.
*Many deaf and hard-of-hearing folks don’t identify as disabled.
