A Christmas Carol:
a silent bah-humbug
Adapted by Silent Theatre Company
from the book by Charles Dickens
Directed by Tonika Todorova
St. Paul’s Church, 2215 W. North Ave. (map)
thru Dec 30 | tickets: $15-$25 | more info
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Silent Theatre takes out the words and puts in the scary
Silent Theatre Company presents
A Christmas Carol: a silent bah-humbug
Review by Danielle Stack
It’s that time of year again – the time where Christmas cheer is all around us, when the first snow falls in Chicago and when you can see 50 different variations of A Christmas Carol at theatres across Chicago! A majority of these productions tend to stay safe and consistent to the staging of Charles Dickens’ classic. That is definitely not the case with Silent Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol: the silent bah-humbug.
When walking into the church where the play is produced, you can tell that this is not going to be the typical Christmas Carol. The entire set (designed by Joseph Lark-Riley) is monochromatic; the main set piece is a big gray chair where a dead Marley sits at the top of the show. The play begins with the composer and accompanist singing aloud the famous first line of the tale, “Marley was dead: to begin with” and continues with the anecdote about the phrase “dead as a door nail”. After that, the actors are completely silent during the rest of the show. There are the occasional gasps and screams, but that’s only to convey the emotions felt by the characters. The actors are in no sense mimes, even though their make-up is also monochromatic. Rather, the artists call upon tactics used in German expressionism to tell the classic story.
Another aspect of the traditional show that Silent Theatre alters are the characters. Bob Cratchit has been replaced with a female worker who ultimately adopts a young sickly girl off the streets – this production’s version of Tiny Tim.
During the performance the ensembles’ movements and facial expressions effectively portray each of the different characters they play (though in a few scenes the character’s movements are more sloppy than concise.) Nick DuFloth does a wonderful job of employing the movements and expressions to show the journey his Scrooge takes during the fateful night.
One aspect of the show that stands out above the rest is the musical accompaniment, provided by Isaiah Robinson on the piano and organ. Robinson’s music is entirely original and fits perfectly into each scene. Robinson employs the use of the church organ beautifully, providing a wonderful haunting atmosphere to the story.
Silent Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol: the silent bah-humbug is not for those whom are easily scared. But it IS for those who know the beloved Dickens’ tale by heart and are in the mood for an experiment of dark and silent proportions that does pay off in the end.
Rating: ★★★
A Christmas Carol: the silent bah-humbug continues through December 30th at NNWAC St. Paul’s Church (Wicker Park Art Center), 2215 W. North Avenue (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are $15-$25, and are available online at fanfueled.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at silenttheatre.com. (Running time: 75 minutes with no intermission)
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