Jeremy Webb as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
On Tuesday evening I had the unique opportunity to revisit a show that has become very special to me, and one that I saw for the first time when it premiered twenty years ago. Jeremy Webb returns for a very limited engagement in his one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He will step back into the show for just two more performances: tonight December 7th, and tomorrow December 8th, and then Rhys Bevan-John will return to the show, which runs at Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Studio Theatre until December 30th.
Jeremy Webb begins the evening harnessing the spirit of Charles Dickens as he speaks the story’s famous first lines, “Marley was dead: to begin with,” and he continues to muse about doornails, coffin nails, and the idea of more morbid forms ironmongery, as though these ideas were just now occurring to him, rather than being lines in a play he has spoken in front of audiences hundreds of times over more than a decade. When Ebenezer Scrooge is introduced into the story you can see in a matter of seconds Webb’s face age about fifteen years, with just the addition of a pair of eyeglasses.
Since this show toured for years all around the province, both to performing arts venues and to schools, everything about it is compact. Scrooge’s counting house, for example, is illustrated with just one small antique standing desk, a full pail of coal, and a quill pen. This leaves the details to the audience’s imagination, and draws them into the literal play of it, as they are asked to help Webb at various points throughout the show to make believe, for example, that he and the Spirit of Christmas Present are flying over London. The audience is essential for any live performance, of course, but it is especially integral for this version of A Christmas Carol, as Webb freely improvises, makes anachronistic jokes similar to those in The Muppet Christmas Carol, and he interacts with audience members, melding his own sense of humour with Dickens’ quite seamlessly.
In the most simplistic of terms Ebenezer Scrooge stands out from most of the other men in A Christmas Carol because he is vigorously coldhearted and crabby. The others: Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s nephew Fred, The Ghost of Christmas Present, Mr. Fezziwig, and the portly gentleman collecting for London’s poor and destitute, are all kindhearted, and so Webb has to find a way to bring in nuance and portray each of their kind hearts differently. Fred is as assertive as his uncle, but he is intent on spreading goodwill and friendship instead of misery. Bob Cratchit is more timid until he gets home amongst his loved ones when he feels a little more comfortable expressing his thoughts and feelings. The portly gentleman has an affable awkwardness, while Mr. Fezziwig has a more childlike jolliness. The characters all come tumbling out of Webb, sometimes with a slight change of costume, but often just with a change in expression and vocal cadence, and it’s never unclear for an instant who is speaking or what is happening in the story.
The ghosts of Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, and Christmas Yet to Come are portrayed by beautifully-crafted puppets maneuvered by puppeteer Simon Henderson. The Jacob Marley puppet is especially detailed, really giving the audience a sense of what Jacob looked like in life, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come puppet is quite frightening, so be mindful if you’re planning on bringing young children to the show. Henderson does such a masterful job of moving the puppets, especially Marley whose mouth moves as he speaks, that I found he often blended entirely into the background, which makes the experience even more magical. There is one special moment of the show that I think was first built into the show around the real-life friendship between Webb and Henderson (they also worked together for years in Webb’s show Shakespeare On Trial), where Henderson gets to be in the spotlight, to hilarious effect for everyone.
The lighting design, especially the red lights mixed with the thick haze, create a nice ghostly and spooky atmosphere for Webb’s Scrooge to play with, while also commenting wryly on London Town’s reputation for its propensity for fog.
Jeremy Webb throws every ounce of himself into performing this show as though twenty years have not passed, including rolling straight off Scrooge’s bed onto the hard floor (getting up again sprightly from said hard floor), and a whole Fezziwig dance break. He continues to find ways to bring a freshness to these characters, and to the conceit he builds with the audience every night, that keeps the production from feeling dated.
I am not sure how many times I have seen Jeremy Webb perform this play over the last twenty years, but it always delights me and fills me with holiday spirit. It works beautifully (although differently) with either Webb or Bevan-John bringing Dickens’ timeless story to life, but I was really glad this year to have gotten to revisit the show with Webb to mark its 20th Year. After twenty years, it has entered the happy nostalgia of Christmas Past for me, as I know it has for many other Haligonian families, for whom seeing this particular version of A Christmas Carol is a necessary part of their holiday tradition.
A Christmas Carol plays at Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Studio Theatre (1589 Argyle Street) until December 30th, 2023. Jeremy Webb stars in the show tonight December 7th, and tomorrow December 8th. Shows run Tuesday to Friday at 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday at both 2:00pm and 7:30pm. Tickets range in price from $38.00 to $70.00 (based on seating).
For tickets please visit this website, or call the Box Office at 902.429.7070 or visit in person at 1593 Argyle Street. A Christmas Carol is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes long, including an intermission. Babes in arms & children under four years old are not permitted in the theatre. Please Note: this show contains haze, fog, and scary ghosts.
Neptune Theatre is fully accessible for wheelchair users. For more Accessibility Information Click Here.
