A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Preview Thread — Page 3

Broadway Bob* said: "Reading the comments on this thread are getting me more and more excited to see this Thursday evening. Christmas Carol has always been one of my favorite stories and have obsessively sought out not only the original book, but every film/TV version I could get my hands on. My favorite is the George C. Scott TV version from the 80's.

I am sitting Right Orchestra, B 2. Can someone confirm if this is 1st or second row?!? IS this the seat taboo was referring to?!? Also, any updated word on merch? Thanks!!!"

Indeed it was the seat I was sitting in! Second row, yes. You will have to turn your head at times, but it's worth it in the end.

I'd been looking forward to this play for weeks, and after seeing it last night I am of two minds about it. As I expected, Matthew Warchus and his Matilda/Groundhog Day design team have created a striking physical and environmental production. What I did not expect were the story deviations Jack Thorne's script has taken. I did find some of them interesting, but I think I'd have to see the play again with the changes already in mind to fully evaluate the play. To others who have seen it, what do you think of changes like these:

What did they do for the ghost? Did they fly

Has anyone seen A Christmas Carol from the balcony? I know its steep, but I'm willing to brave it for the prices, especially in such a small house. My big worry is that I won't be able to see what's happening on the thrust. Can anyone share if the view of the thrust is obstructed from the balcony? Which seats there would be ideal?

Do you think telecharge discount offers will be available for the remaining performances ? I was looking to go towards end of December .

Don’t do a partial view. The person next to me last night had one. I felt so sorry for her. She didn’t see anything center stage or stage right. She complained at intermission and got the seat switched. Pay for a great seat. It is well worth it.

AmeliaBedelia said: "BentleyB said: "Don’t do a partial view. The person next to me last night had one. I felt so sorry for her. She didn’t see anything center stage or stage right. She complained at intermission and got the seat switched. Pay for a great seat. It is well worth it."

Thanks! Unfortunately a full-view seat is out of my budget unless one pops up as a rush ticket. At this point I'm just trying to decide if it's worth going to see at all if the only option is partial-view. Was the person next to you with a terrible view sittingin the balcony? Not being able to see oneside of the stage sounds to melike she was up close to the stageon the far edges of the orchestra.The box office worker said the partial view balcony seats just couldn't see the thrust but didn't have a good answer for how much of the show happens on the thrust. Can anybody provide an estimate of what percentage of the show takes place on the thrust?"

I don’t understand how someone sitting next to someone couldn’t see the entire stage, but...the entire show takes place on the thrust.

A news clip about the two boys who play "Tiny Tim".

Please note, there may be spoilers in the paragraphs below.

1)

I enjoyed this the interaction of the actors with the audience before the lights went down and was hopeful. I continued enjoying it as the actual show started and musicians took the stage and then the narration began. I enjoyed the manipulation of set by the company. But then it started going downhill for me. Campbell Scott was a bit difficult for me to understand from the mezzanine, and his interaction with Dashiell Evans as Bob Cratchitt and Brandon Gill as Fred just felt off. And then the "adaptation" started to really kick in and I started getting annoyed by changes to the iconic text. By the end of Act One, I had passed from annoyance into downright anger. And as Act Two continued (and the "Ghost of Christmas Future" [Hints of Hadestown's Fates anyone?] and the future itself were revealed), I just sat there stewing. And by the long running "feast" set up and the final resolution I was just disgusted. As soon as I left the theater I pulled out my iPod and pulled up Tim Curry's version of the audiobook and when I got home, I loaded Patrick Stewart's audio of his one man show into my computer to clear this dark, dreary "interpretation" of a show I love out of my brain. Call me a purist, but the changes made to the basic story just didn't work for me. However...



2)

Somehow, my sister has managed to never see any version of A Christmas Carol and only knew it as some guy visited by a bunch of Ghosts. Due to her unfamiliarity with the source material, she didn't have the issues I did, and just accepted this version as it was and therefore she enjoyed it more than I did.

I have noticed that this show is quite frequently on the boards at TKTS. Can anyone comment as to what seats they are sending over to the booth? The website does not show a lot of seats available, but still it is always on the TKTS board. Are these balcony seats, partial view? Thanks!

BentleyB said: "SouthernCakes said: "I don’t get how there’s any partial view for this?"

The seat was A21in the Mezz.I was in 23. There is lighting cables that run right in front of the seat and most of the action is not in the trust but center stage. I looked at the view from the seat at intermission and it was indeed blocked. Obviously she was right in that the house manager quickly agreed to put her in another seat.
"

I saw the show last night and from what I saw, I'd say A23 was partial-view and A21 was not partial-view. For some reason A23 was curved a little bit to the end so your main view is one of the speakers and stage left. My 2 cents.

I enjoyed watching this production but I'll admit I read the text back in high school which was roughly 20 years ago and the only movie version I watched was the Muppet Christmas Carol (which I saw back in the early 90s.) Quite refreshing to watch!

SPOILERS:
"I love how the Ghost of Christmas Future was Scrooge's sister. I also love that her purpose was to show Scrooge that he was loved. The whole scene was hopeful and not "LOL, you're going to hell."

The point of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is not to scare Scrooge because he is "going to hell". This ghost shows Scrooge how, after his death, no one really cares. The ghost shows Scrooge men he knew are could care less that he is gone, one even commenting that he will only attend Scrooge's funeral if a lunch is provided. Another scene shows thieves selling Scrooge's belongings on the black market. Scrooge is convinced he is seeing reactions to the death of a man who lead a similar life.

""Spirit," said Scrooge, shuddering from head to foot. "I see, I see. The case of this unhappy man might be my own. My life tends that way, now.""

But is not until Scrooge is brought into a room where a dead man lies beneath a sheet that Scrooge begins to suspect. Which is why he cannot reveal that dead man's face; he knows it will be his own. So, when Scrooge finally sees his own name on the gravestone it is not because he has died, or because he is going to hell. It is because he has died and nobody cares or scarcely notices.

Of course, none of this happens in this new adaptation