‘A Christmas Carol’ @ Stolen Shakespeare Guild
Photos by Jennifer Stewart
—Jan Farrington
This might be the perfect A Christmas Carol for introducing a Young Person to this classic Dickens story. Stolen Shakespeare Guild’s new North Side Fort Worth theater is nicely intimate (no seats are more than a few rows from the wide stage), and the story is told in lively, quick-changing scenes that keep the plot crystal clear.
Plus, there’s hot chocolate (etc.) at intermission.
Co-artistic director Lauren Morgan needs a round of applause first—for coming up with a rich, condensed adaptation of the Dickens text, and for her early-Victorian costumes: bright waistcoats on the gentlemen, lovely bonnets and swirling hoop-skirted dresses on the ladies. The characters stop in small groups every so often to punctuate the story with (what else?) a Christmas carol—and that gave me a chance to sigh over the outfits (and admire the fine voices of the cast).
Stan Graner (seen last at SSG as another grumpy guy, Henry Higgins of My Fair Lady) begins as a flinty old miser—but with the saddest eyes!. We follow his journey as a series of ghosts (his old business partner Marley, and three “spirits” of Christmas) give him a look at his sad, money-grubbing, loveless life—and leave him to think about how he could change it. Charles Dickens was a reformer at heart: he hoped his loving, open-hearted view of Christmas time (which wasn’t back then the HUGE holiday it is now) might open our hearts to helping others all year round.
Other standouts (it’s hard to pick) in a very good cast are Samuel Jack—first as the ragged ghost of Marley, dragging the chains of his hard-hearted life, and warning his partner Scrooge not to share his awful fate…and then as the smiling, bright-eyed Ghost of Christmas Present, almost glowing in his gilded robe … Kate Vidimos as the gentle but insistent Ghost of Christmas Past, showing Scrooge his lost chances … Ray Patterson as Scrooge’s jittery clerk Bpb Cratchit, also a loving husband and father … Augusta Bailey as Mrs. Cratchit, with real-life son Teddy Bailey as an adorable Tiny Tim … and Nancy Lamb, that well-known scene-stealer, who catches our eyes in four small (and very different) roles.
The show is ably directed by Tatum Love with Olivia Hopkins. Together, they keep the pacing energetic, and Jennifer Stewart’s lighting helps us find the central action (and atmosphere) of each scene. Co-artistic director Jason Morgan designed the set, with snowy Christmas trees that lift us out of grimy London and into the countryside. (Lauren Morgan and Kate Vidimos did the scenic painting.)
Bottom line: A well-done production with lovely singing and costumes, cocoa at the break (!), and free parking. Could be a sweet spot in your Christmas busy-ness.
WHEN: December 5-21, 2025
WHERE: SSG, 3623 Decatur Avenue, Fort Worth
WEB: stolenshakespeareguild.org
