Christmas Carol

The Christmas Carol is a well known production that has been remade in many various forms. Dickens' classic is the original story that has set the stage for productions such as The Flintstone's Christmas Carol, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and Mickey's Christmas Carol. Personally, my favorite rendition is Muppet's Christmas Carol. There are differences between the various forms of the original classic. These differences depend on the style and interpretation of the director. The production put on by The Bowling Green Theater Department stayed close to the original story. There were also positive and negative aspects of the production.

The Muppet's Christmas Carol was hilarious and excellent. Scrooge was portrayed very well and he was also believable. Kermit and Miss made a wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit. Another great thing about this version was the songs. Many renditions of The Christmas Carol are not musical such as The Muppet's and Bowling Green's productions. In the Muppet's version, the music was good and was put together very well and professionally. Dickens wrote his story in a setting of London and its' currents societal conditions at the time. The Muppet's rendition takes away from the real London and replaces it with an element of comedy that overrides its' serious nature. Therefore, it makes it relatable to a larger audience including children and young adults.

College versions are also musicals like The Muppet's. The setting was good and so were the costumes. This production did not stray away from Dickens original that much. All aspects were leveled not letting comedy overtake the dramatic aspect. The main difference between this production and The Muppet's version is the performance. In the theatrical production, the singing was off key and that took away from the entire show. It sort of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. In addition to that, the dancing was not strong. For example, in one scene, one of the main dancers completely loses her balance and falls straight to the ground and loses her bonnet. This performance must be a product of an under rehearsed production that clearly needed more work. This theatrical presentation incorporated different positioning and entrances of the characters. For example, Scrooge enters from the back of the hall and walks through the audience. This aspect of the movie cannot be experienced in the Muppet's interpretation. But, the Muppet's overall performance far exceeded the college performance.

Even though the college production was more realistic, the Muppet's included a complete level of entertainment that was not met by the theatrical production. Watching the Muppet's was entertaining. It made me want to see again and again. It was funny, clever and kept the audiences attention. My main thoughts during the theatrical performance was that the end needed to come very soon because my attention was not in the musical. Many people form the audience got up and left during the intermission. When there are less people in the second half of the show than there are in the beginning, then the show needs some work. It is the director's job to ensure that the audience is kept watching the show. The Muppet's version is memorable and is very much appreciated.