Metropolis Family-Friendly “Christmas Carol” Delightful
By Wes Hessel with D’Arcy Mies
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights showcases a delightful, traditional presentation of the perennial holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol”. The Narrator (Fan) is excellent and Scrooge is quite well played; the entire cast truly does a good job, and the child actors are great, well rehearsed and talented. Also, I love the Ghost of Christmas Present for her fully-embodied interpretation. Costumes are excellently done, beautiful to look at, evoking the time period, and following the traditions of “ACC” itself.
The ghosts and effects aren’t nearly as otherworldly or as spooky as in many productions I have seen, making it more child-friendly. The predicted Tiny Tim death is also done with a rather light hand; overall it is an upbeat production with lots of good cheer and musical fun.
It’s not quite a full-blown musical – a play with music, if you will – still, live song is incorporated from start to finish. The musical performers are also the actors in the ensemble, who play a variety of instruments incorporated into the action, including bassoon, bagpipes, and accordion. There is an original composition included, as well. The talented ensemble as carolers singing traditional Christmas tunes hit exactly the right note for the kind of traditional christmas cheer I hope to get from “A Christmas Carol” performance, and this is where the production shines…
Metropolis gains points with me for their plentiful restrooms; cheerful, uncrowded lobby; and and ease of accessibility. I can’t resist a cute themed drink and I highly recommend “The Marley’s Ghost” in the lobby bar. This hot apple cider is warming, delicious, and has a punch; here’s an inside tip: Thursday nights, they are on a 2 for 1 special! Don’t forget to tip your bartender…
A side note to help make the experience best – the large free municipal parking garage behind the theatre is currently under construction, making the parking situation in the deck somewhat congested and the neighborhood spaces more competitive, so allowing extra time will likely make it easier.
“A Christmas Carol” at Metropolis runs right up through Christmas Eve, but to have a ghost of a chance to see this lovely show, you’ll want to make haste to www.metropolisarts.com for tickets or more information.
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