Tis the season of hospitality, merriment, and openheartedness! Come in and know them better, man! Tis the season— their 11th, in fact— for putting that timeless holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, upon their stage. Tis the season for uplifting spirits, for heartwarming festivities, and for radical, positive change. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s A Christmas Carol is truly a cherished stage tradition, nestled right in the heart of Charm City and is bringing jubilation amid the bleakness that 2025 has turned out to be; it’s bringing fiery cause for celebration, fierce intentions of peace on earth and good will toward humankind. It’s a remarkably felicitous, wholly enjoyable production that will leave you fizzy in the heart, giddy in the spirit, and loved in the soul. Directed by Séamus Miller and Quāé Simpson, this jubilant celebration is the shimmering light in midwinter darkness, the true spirit of Christmas captured incarnate live on stage; a magical, theatrical gift to the city of Baltimore, truly the perfect holiday present for everyone this year.
Everyone knows A Christmas Carol, whether you’ve seen it on television or a film version, done it in school, read the original Dickensian story, seen it live— goodness, even seen it live at this very theatre sometime in the last decade— everyone has some working familiarity, however vague, with the tale. The true beauty of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s production is that it is intrinsically familiar and simultaneously new. Everyone knows the path that Scrooge meanders, the four ghostly visits, the ending; CSC’s divine production never makes the show feel like a foregone conclusion. No one is merely going through the motions, this isn’t a retelling of a classic; it’s lively and exuberant, happening right before your very eyes with a welcome brightness to this ‘Christmas Ghost Story.’ Directors Séamus Miller and Quāé Simpson create an extraordinary vision, combining loads of Baltimore Easter eggs and ticklesome moments of humor with the sincerity and earnest glee that comes this time of year. The performance is not without its heavier moments— much needed to identify those truly radiant gemstones of joy— and the lightheartedness and humorous moments are played divinely; it’s not a farce, it’s not a send-up, it’s just raw, unadulterated joy, the way children often experience Christmas time.
One of the most delightful Baltimore Easter eggs included in this production is the introduction of Edgar Allan Poe, a beloved Baltimore icon. Played by the multitalented William Beckstrom (who can mostly be found haunting the carefully tucked away piano for a great many of the live musical numbers featured in this play with song), Poe is a guest at Frances and Nicholas’ house during ‘Christmas Present’ and engages in the game of ‘Yes & No’ with little Poe-quirks that are just delightful and tickle the audience most gleefully. This adaptation (Laura Rocklyn) also features the inclusion of Charles Dickens (Brett Earnest), who arrives with Mrs. Pickersgill (Kathryne Daniels) who arrives to the counting house to beg charity of Scrooge. Dickens did, however briefly, visit Baltimore, and Poe was a known staple; the effusive inclusion of these two icons feels like the perfect Christmas present to Baltimore, really grounding the work in Charm City (not to mention all of the local references to where different characters live and work.)
The production team— Technical Director Dan O’Brien, Set Designer Mollie Singer, Lighting Designer Luis Garcia, Costume Designer Kristina Lambdin— have fabricated a most splendid Dickensian aesthetic to the show, with Garcia’s work leaning a bit more fully into the ‘storytelling’ component of this tale upon the stage. The ghastly green lights for Marley’s moments or the eerie lighting for the scenes spent with ‘The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’ are brilliant, as are the subtler touches of light, like the darkness used to paint Scrooge’s chambers before his encounter with Marley, the silhouette and shadow-play used with the ‘at sea’ scene during ‘Christmas Present’ and the almost imperceptible difference of brightness and dimness in the Cratchit household between ‘Christmas Present’ and ‘Christmas Yet to Come.’ Kristina Lambdin’s sartorial selection for the show is practical and period appropriate; it truly looks like history come to life, particularly with Miss Frances’ dress and the vibrant emerald-green and fur-trimmed robes of Christmas Present. Visually the production is as stunning as it is evocative, joyful and moving.
What’s Christmas without a Christmas carol or two or four or more? Musical Director Grace Srinivasan finds a beautiful balance between the live stage musicians— Ellie Cattle on fiddle, who is oft seen milling about amidst those on stage, and William Beckstrom on piano (except for when he’s playing as Poe)— and letting song take flight with the ensemble as they sing their merriment frequently and with vigorous gusto. Featured soloists include Kate Forton (it should also be noted that Forton plays the Charwoman, who’s mincing flounce-walk is an absolutely hysterical character choice that really adds an extra layer to this already fabulous cameo character) who sings some of the more somber and haunting carols on the stage in near-total darkness and Tyrell Brown, who is given arguably one of the most moving scenes in the production with his solo-come-group chanting song.
Brown is featured during a scene with ‘Christmas Present’ where his extraordinary voice powerfully blasts a spiritual song, transforming that into moment of laborious drudgery into something positive and beautiful. It’s an astonishing scene that directors Miller and Simpson, with Srinivasan’s musical guidance, have crafted from Rocklyn’s adaptation, fully showcasing that even in that weary and tireless hovel of work and toil the spirit of Christmas is keenly felt and joyously celebrated. The cap-coda song (used at the top and conclusion of the performance) “Hard Times Come Again No More” (1854; Stephen Foster) is a powerfully reckoning tune which echoes right into the present moment of 2025 and speaks volumes about the intent driving this year’s production. Of course there’s also a great deal of boisterous and good-natured singing under Srinivasan’s direction as well— like the clap-happy “Mrs. Fezziwig’s Christmas Cake” (some of the ensemble in that number have facial expressions that will have you giggling so heartily you’ll hurt your ribs!)— there’s even an opportunity for the audience to join in the caroling at the end of the intermission, and if you’re lucky you might just find yourself up on stage caroling alongside one of Chris Reuther’s puppet creations!
Simpson and Miller do more than just direct the show (moreover, Simpson is also the show’s dance and movement choreographer and the dancing is both period appropriate and infused with lively energies that encompass the past, present, and future!) they create an experience upon the stage. Swift doesn’t begin to describe it, and I’m woefully fearful that I’m not doing it justice either as it’s more than just perfectly executed and flawlessly timed scenic transitions and shifts from stave to stave. There’s a rhythm and a flow— almost as if Simpson and Miller have composed their own narrative song that dances its way from beginning to end. There are harrowing moments— like the hard jagged dagger that pierces the audience with Belle’s simple ‘release’ of Scrooge from his commitment— but then there’s also gaiety— like Dawn Thomas Reidy in her narrator role popping her head out of the clock-box as a cuckoo bird. And there’s an equilibrium that resonates between both, all while gliding along at an amiably spirited pace. There are little things— like the third lock and the humor therein appearing when Scrooge locks himself in his chambers for the evening or the most tender flirtation between Topper (Isaiah Mason Harvey) and Louisa (Ali Haas) at Frances and Nicholas’ Christmas day celebrations— the production is bursting with all of these nuanced, carefully created moments, that are woven together seamlessly to create this exquisite theatrical experience, steeped to the eyeballs in the true tradition and spirit of Christmas.
One cannot expect A Christmas Carol without children. CSC’s production not only has them but puts them all to use (as they do with every player upon the stage) fully immersing them in the novel’s universal world and submerging them in the magic. The Youth Cast (Everett Engler, Lavinia Engler, Charlotte Molitoris, Fallon Reidy, Cassius Rife, Isabella Tanase-Coles, Mikayla Uqdah,) sing in Scrooge’s counting house as carolers, trying to inspire the seasonal spirit to the wicked old screw, though to no such avail. Charlotte Molitoris, Cassius Rife, Lavinia Engler, and Isabella Tanase-Coles also double-up as various Cratchit children, with Everett Engler playing the infamously adorable Tiny Tim. And his ‘God bless us, every one’ is precious beyond compare. Fallon Reidy, who also plays the Turkey Boy in one of the penultimate scenes with Scrooge on Christmas day, is just a delight all but collapsing beneath the turkey that’s twice as big as him, and Mikayla Uqdah, as Little Fan, is so overjoyed at seeing her brother ‘Young Scrooge’ (Isaiah Mason Harvery) that she nearly bubbles up and off the stage in her own giddy glee.
The Youth Cast’s energy, enthusiasm, and overall excitement is both abundant and contagious, spreading rapidly amongst the adults in the cast— even Scrooge who spends a great many lines grumping, harrumphing, and Bah-Humbug-ing, catches bits and bobs of their ecstatic joy and it presents itself in the most curiously delightful moments all throughout his portrayal! Brett Earnest and Ali Haas, as the respective Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig, come immediately to mind when one is picking out the most joyous amid the bunch. Earnest’s convivial nature when kicking off the Christmas party is just delightful. And so too is Haas’ song when she launches into “Mrs. Fezziwig’s Christmas Cake.” Watching the pair of them try to subtly spy on Belle (Kayla Earl) and Young Scrooge (Isaiah Mason Harvey) is a true barrel of laughs. Earl has one of the most eviscerating deliveries of text in the first act, and watching her go through that scene with Harvey’s Young Scrooge is quite discomforting; you feel for her but are proud of her in that she owns and accepts her heartbreak with dignity and experiences it fully whilst making her path forward; it’s remarkable and so much more than the traditional approach to that moment.
Ghosts. There are three. Well, three who’s coming are foretold by the fourth (technically first) ghost, Jacob Marley (Steven Todd Smith.) As the harrowing specter whose arrival and departure are equal parts fascinating and astonishing, Smith’s physicality in the role is noteworthy, as is the ensemble augmenting his ghastly ghost voice on specific words during his warnings to Scrooge. Smith doubles up as one of the puppeteers for the gloriously ominous ‘Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’ (and that whole effect, featuring Smith, Brett Earnest, Isaiah Mason Harvey and Luis Garcia’s extraordinary lighting specials, is stunning!) and as Nicholas, the husband of Scrooge’s niece. Watching his wildly animated facial expressions during the ‘Christmas Present’ scene at Frances’ house is one of the most entertaining and engaging little moments in the performance. Dazzling the audience in a glowing white gown like bright Christmas snow, The Ghost of Christmas Past (at this performance, Ronnita Freeman) is sincere, balancing her truth with a reflective quality, almost like a living mirror. Freeman also plays Virginia Poe in the ‘Christmas Present’ scene at Frances’ house and her interactions with Beckstrom’s Poe during the ‘Yes & No’ game are charming. The ghost with the most— at least in terms of solo-singing— is Elgin Martin as The Ghost of Christmas Present. With a vocal blast that has the whole house sending him much deserved ovations, Martin captivates the audience with his commanding stage presence and his ubiquitous spiritual radiance. That same radiant joviality is found when Martin portrays Joshua, husband to Belle, even if that scene from the ‘past’ is brief.
The aforementioned Cratchit children (Molitoris, Rife, Engler, Tanase-Coles, and Everrett Engler as Tiny Tim) make for the perfect family alongside Bob (Samuel Richie) and Mrs. Cratchit (Dawn Thomas Reidy.) There’s an indefatigable glowing warmth that flows readily from Reidy’s Mrs. Cratchit, for her children, for her husband, for the season, though she’s definitely channeling some Muppet-esque vibes when she rails back at Bob for daring to toast Mr. Scrooge over Christmas dinner. Watching that little exchange between Reidy and Richie is a true theatrical gem, it’s convivial, earnest, and happens so quickly that if you blink you’ll miss it. Richie serves as a lovely Bob, particularly in the earlier scenes in the counting house wherein he tries to shoulder the burden of all the Christmas spirit as each of the circling visitors enters the hole of misery and miserly behaviors. Everyone takes a moment narrating the tales (everyone that isn’t Scrooge and the children, that is) but there’s something about both Reidy’s moments in particular that standout, like a mother carefully parsing the words of this tale for her children; it’s a beautiful and nearly indescribable thing.
As for Scrooge himself, Gregory Burgess is a lively and expressive, emotionally grounded Scrooge. It’s difficult to find the exacting words to describe how he doesn’t turn Scrooge into a caricature but also doesn’t make him so stiffly serious and wretched that the transformation ends up feeling forced; with Burgess it’s the exact opposite because you see the joy of Christmas cracking into his heart early on; there’s a humanity to him. And a lot of earnest silliness that just delights the audience the way everyone should find delight in this time of year. After the Jacob-Marley-knocker encounter incident, there’s a moment when Burgess’ voice perks up a good octave or so, and he trembles into the open air “Humbug?” like a squeaky scared question and it’s adorable and humorous and good-natured. Or that moment when The Ghost of Christmas Past tries to rouse him from slumber and he simply says, in cheeky way, “but my bed is warm.” And the revelation-style squeal-shrieking; it’s most startling but most entertaining. Burgess has the raw essence of Scrooge well in hand but allows the production’s overarching lens of ‘radical, positive change’ to inform his choices, to impact his delivery, to infuse his spirit, and to drive the course of his performance and the show is a thousand times more brilliant because of it. There’s ill-tempered moments, truly sincere moments of anguish and regret, as well as growth and accepted-glee; Burgess does it all, delivering a marvelously wonderful performance as Ebenezer Scrooge.
It is a time to reflect on your present blessings and not to dwell on your past misfortunes. Be blessed that Chesapeake Shakespeare Company has this uplifting production on their stage this holiday season and do not make it a misfortune of yours to miss seeing it in its finest form yet, here in 2025.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission
A Christmas Carol plays November 29th 2025 through December 23rd 2025 with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company— 7 S. Calvert Street in Baltimore, MD. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 410-244-8570 or purchasing them in advance online.
To read the interview with Greg Burgess on playing Scrooge, click here.