From the Street Theatre Company
Don’t Be a Scrooge, See A VHS Christmas Carol
The Street Theater Company have produced arguably one of the best shows of the holiday season. Originally written and performed by the theater company Team StarKid, A VHS Christmas Carol takes the classic story from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and infuses it with music, humor, and 80’s nostalgia.
Due to the ubiquity of the source material, A VHS Christmas Carol leaves out much of the exposition one might come to expect from the traditional telling, focusing more on audio and visual excitement than leading the viewer through a myriad of minor plot details. The play opens with neon lights, synthesizer, and an array of CRT TV screens. The narrator introduces us to our main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, followed soon thereafter by his nephew Fred and his employee Bob Cratchit. We then are rewarded with our first full cast number, “Bah Humbug.” It is here where Ebenezer’s miserable and miserly nature is established. We see him refusing to donate to the poor, rejecting Fred’s invite to a Christmas party, and granting Bob only a single day off of work for Christmas.
From there, the play jumps straight to his first spectral visit by his former business partner Jacob Marley. Marley, of course, chides Scrooge for his greedy and unempathetic life choices, and informs him that he will be visited by three spirits that night. This is followed by appearances from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Each of these carries their own distinctive retro flair, invoking images of Pat Benatar and Jazzercize.
Christmas Past is the first ghost to visit Scrooge. She forces him to reflect on his lonely days in school, his departed sister, and his former fiancé Belle. Next comes Christmas Present who teaches Scrooge about Christmas electricity, or the positive feelings and interactions spread between people around Christmas time. He shows Scrooge Fred’s Christmas party and the Cratchit family’s Christmas dinner. Finally, the mysterious and silent Christmas Future appears. Clad in all black, she shows Scrooge how he will be remembered after his demise. She also shows him the untimely death of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit’s son.
After the events of the night, Scrooge awakens a changed man. As he goes about exhibiting his newfound generosity, Scrooge and company grace the audience with the closing song, “Christmas Day.” At only a 45-minute runtime without an intermission, the play packs a mountain of invigorating content into a short amount of time.
While A Christmas Carol can certainly feel stale after seeing it repeatedly holiday season after holiday season, this re-imagined rendition succeeds in making the story feel fresh again. The intimate Barbershop Theater is the perfect venue for such a show. The cast interacts at times with the audience, and you definitely feel like you are a part of the action. The venue also allows for viewers to be immersed in the well-thought-out set. Details like He-Man toys, a Lite-Brite set, and even an old VHS tape of A Christmas Carol help create a period appropriate ambiance, submerging the audience in the magic of the 80’s. As a musical, the play does not disappoint. The audience can expect wall-to-wall singing with notable musical numbers including the before mentioned “Bah Humbug,” “3 Spirits,” and “Christmas Electricity.” Be forewarned that the last of these may take up space in your head rent free for a number of days following the show.
The small ensemble cast is packed full of talent. I was especially impressed by Elijah Wallace as Scrooge; he embodied perfectly the tightfisted and menacing Scrooge at the beginning of the play. Throughout Scrooge’s development Wallace really brings you along for the ride. You feel Scrooge’s longing for his past, the spark of excitement he feels as he learns to enjoy the present, and his fear for what might come in his future if he does not change his ways. You will not be disappointed by Wallace’s impressive voice and commanding stage presence. Other standout performances included Tristan Valdez’s portrayal of Tiny Tim, Victoria Lourdes as the Ghost of Christmas Past, as well as the musical direction and performance by Randy Craft.
The Street Theater Company itself is a non-profit arts organization furthering the arts in the Nashville area. In addition to their live performances, they are leaders in education and in their support of local arts and artists. All in all, I have nothing but praises to sing for the company and their rendition of A VHS Christmas Carol. As previously stated, it’s a fun and exciting take on a classic Christmas story that the whole family can enjoy (although parents should be advised that there is some mild language at various times in the play).
Their performance of a VHS Christmas Carol runs from December 6th through the 21st at the Barbershop Theater. For tickets and more information about the show please visit A VHS Christmas Carol.
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As a software engineer for Microsoft by day, Brady Hammond moonlights as a musician, artist, writer, and all-around arts enthusiast in his free time. He received a B.A. in Linguistics from BYU in 2017 with minors in Scandinavian studies and computer science. Hailing originally from Georgia, Brady has enjoyed traveling the world. He spent some time living in Denmark before eventually returning to the states. He currently resides in Nashville with his wife and three children.
