Stephanie Ann Bertumen, Sebastian Grimm, and David Beach Photo by Dan Norman

Another noteworthy event, if you were there, was the Guthrie Theater's first performance of A Christmas Carol, in an adaptation by David Feldshuh and David Hall, based on Charles Dickens' classic story. This season the Guthrie is staging its fiftieth A Christmas Carol, certainly a milestone: a testament to the staying power of Dickens' redemptive story and of the Guthrie's stature as an essential font of culture.

After 1972, a few seasons passed before the Guthrie brought A Christmas Carol back in an adaptation by Barbara Nosanow. The following year, yet another adaptation, by Barbara Field, was used. A Christmas Carol continued to depict the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from miser to benefactor every year except for 2020, when even the three ghosts who reform Scrooge could not overcome the scourge of COVID-19. Field's adaptation was used for 34 seasons, through 2009. In 2010, a new adaptation by Crispin Whittell was mounted and ran through the decade. For the show's 2021 post-pandemic return, a new adaptation by Lavina Jadhwani was staged and continues to be the version audiences at the Guthrie are enjoying this season.

And enjoying is certainly the right word. Even those of us who know the story–who have not only seen it repeatedly at the Guthrie, but enacted by the likes of George C. Scott, the Muppets, Mr. Magoo, and more–cannot help but be moved anew by its truth, that opening one's heart to love and generosity is the path to happiness. Peppered by an abundant sampling of Christmas carols, hymns, and several original songs by Jane Shaw that fit in nicely, and lively dances choreographed by Regina Peluso to conjure up the work's 19th century English spirit, the production delivers a cornucopia of cheer and holiday warmth. Director Addie Gorlin-Han, repeating her assignment from last year, assembled the vast array of moving parts to mount a production as seamless and crystalline as a Swiss music box.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a businessman who lives to make–and keep–money, not spending any more than he must on his own sustenance, and the bare minimum required to employ his clerk, Bob Cratchit. He seems to be successful at his business, but his success doesn't make him a happy man, as his good-hearted nephew Fred points out. Christmas is the worst of times for Scrooge. His skin crawls at the sound of cheerful greetings and songs, and he is made furious by requests to help those in need. To Scrooge, Christmas is "a poor excuse to pick a man's pocket every December 25."

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, who warns the miser of the grim fate that awaits him if he continues on this course. To further educate Scrooge, three ghosts–or spirits, if you prefer–visit him. Christmas Past reminds Scrooge of times he knew love and friendship, and how his life was altered by his choices as a young man. Christmas Present reveals the hardship his miserliness inflicts on others, yet how those on whom he heaps the most abuse still regard Scrooge with a generous heart. Christmas Future foreshadows the obliteration of his life and fortune, mocked and then forgotten, while those he might have helped in his life suffer all the more. It is enough to make a new man of Scrooge, one who will embrace the Christmas spirit and honor it all through the year.

The production is beautifully and inventively designed. Scenic designer Matt Saunders' provides detailed renditions of Victorian era London streets and Scrooge's chambers, with scenic elements that effortlessly move in and out to create his countinghouse, the Cratchit's family's poor cottage, the comfortable home of nephew Fred, and locations conjured from his past and future lives. Saunders also devised an enveloping projection of the ocean in a scene that shows all the ships at sea making their way home for Christmas. Toni-Leslie James' original period costumes, recreated by Emily Tappan, bring the characters vividly to life, with extravagantly conceived costumes for the four ghosts. Yi Zhao's lighting design and Mikaal Sulaiman's sound design create the gamut of atmospheres, from terrifying to gala, that form A Christmas Carol's emotional sweep.

Of course, Scrooge is the heart of A Christmas Carol, and David Beach, a New York-based actor with Broadway credits making his Twin Cities debut, measures up splendidly. In the opening scene, Beach is convincingly horrible to all who cross his path. He responds with great conviction to each part of his ghostly journey, whether the response is one of delight, regret, sorrow or terror. At the last, when his conversion is complete, he projects the full force of Scrooge's joyful rebirth.

The entire cast, many of them veterans of prior Guthrie A Christmas Carols, complement Beach with gusto. To note some that make marked impressions, Tyler Michaels King, seen as the young Scrooge's friend Dick Wilkins in years past, is now his beleaguered clerk, Bob Cratchit, and gives a stirring performance, while Emjoy Gavino is affecting as Mrs. Cratchit. John Catron conveys strength within tolerance and kindness, and the power of familial love, as Fred. Stephanie Anne Bertumen as Ebenezer's fiancée tenderly expresses sorrow at seeing her beloved's heart turn to the acquisition of wealth above all else.

Charity Jones as Marley's ghost, Eric Sharp as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Regina Marie Williams as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Nathan Huberty, unrecognizable as the Ghost of Christmas Future, each carry out their part of Scrooge's reeducation with aplomb. Finally, at the performance I attended, a delightful young actor named Matea Córdova Stuart was Tiny Tim, whose faith and optimism are in marked counterpoint to Scrooge's misanthropy.

The production moves swiftly, telling the entire story without ever bogging down in digression, or slowed down by transitions. The merriment in Jadhwani's adaptation is truly merry, the frightful apparitions startling, and the feeling of redemption and possibility feels both earned and inevitable. That feeling is the greatest gift the Guthrie, through this production, gives to its audiences. It is a gift that is never the wrong size, one that is a joy to receive year after year, and perhaps especially so this year. This tradition of fifty years is well worth celebrating, with hopes for it to return to warm our hearts and renew our hopes for many years to come.

A Christmas Carol runs through December 29, 2024, at at the Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage, 618 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-377-2224 or visit GuthrieTheater.org.

Playwright: Lavina Jadhwani, adapted from the story by Charles Dickens; Director: Addie Gorlin-Han, based on the original direction by Joseph Haj; Choreographer: Regina Peluso; Composer: Jane Shaw; Music Director: Jason Hansen; Scenic and Projection Design: Matt Saunders; Costume Design: Toni Leslie-James, recreated by Emily Tappan; Lighting Design: Yi Zhao; Sound Design: Mikaal Sulaiman; Dramaturg: Blossom Johnson; Vocal Coach: Keely Wolter; Intimacy by: Alli St John; Resident Casting: Jennifer Liestman; NYC Casting Consultant: McCorkle Casting, Ltd.; Assistant Directors: Idman Adan, Alex Galick; Stage Manager: Jason Clusman; Assistant Stage Managers: Rivka Kelly, Laura Topham.

Cast: David Beach (Ebenezer Scrooge), Stephanie Anne Bertumen (Belle), China Brickey (Fezziwig Daughter/Fred's Wife), John Catron (Fred), Paul de Cordova (Mr. Fezziwig/townsperson), Nathaniel Fuller (Old Joe), Emjoy Gavino (Mrs. Cratchit), Emily Gonyou Halaas (Fezziwig Daughter/charwoman), Summer Hagen (Fezziwig Daughter/ Charwoman/Poultress), Becca Claire Hart (Collector/mother), Nathan Huberty (Belle's Husband/Ghost of Christmas Future), Charity Jones (Marley/townsperson), Tyler Michaels King (Bob Cratchit), Audrey Mojica (Fan), Eric Sharp (Ghost of Christmas Past/father), Regina Marie Williams (Mrs. Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present), Max Wojtanowicz (Collector/Dick Wilkins).

Ensemble: Josiah Fagerstrom, Taelyn Gore, Trevor Lemmon-Todd, Brendan Moir, Anya Naylor, Audrey Parker, Benjamin Thacker, Bella West.

Young Actors (alternate performances): Figgy Pudding Cast: Bella Rose Glancy, Camren Graham, Baron Heinz, Brock Heuring, Inara Roberts, Ingrid Ooley Wolter.

Mistletoe Cast: Rylan Bodin, Mathias Brinda, Linnea Cole, Matea Córdova Stuart, Isaac Hoffman, John Soneral.