A Christmas Carol

One of my family's Christmas traditions is to watch "A Christmas Carol". While the version on television starring George C. Scott is excellent, all of the video versions pale in comparison to the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival's stage production.

I will give the Shakespeare Festival a free plug and tell you that it is always an excellent production. This year we attended the "Preview Night". We normally attend a production closer to Christmas, but the $10 tickets were impossible to resist. Tickets are normally in the $30 range so you can easily understand my attraction to "Preview Night".

Due to my work schedule, sleep habits, and other ailments, I am famous for sleeping through some parts of the production. You put me into a comfortable seat in a cool dark room and I am going to sleep. Sorry! This year I was awake throughout the entire play. There were parts that I have never seen.

There was a different actor playing Scrooge this year, so I was looking forward to seeing a different interpretation. Usually the production changes slightly year to year, but this year there were wholesale changes. It was really VERY good! I turned to my wife at a point early in the play and asked, "Is this part new or do I normally sleep through this part?" It was new.

What was the highlight of the play for myself and those within 30 or 40 feet of me? In the scene with the spirit of Christmas present, Ebenezer and the spirit are at the Cratchit home. There is this line concerning Tiny Tim:
"As good as gold," said Bob, "and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see."

Hearing this, I turned to my wife and said in what I thought was a quiet voice, "Obama?" Some of the folks around us may still be laughing. My only regret is that I didn't speak at my normal volume.

Go see it for yourself!!!