December 2020 – Unprecedented Theater

If we were again living in ‘precedented times’ I’d be planning all kinds of fun events for the season. Drinks with friends, holiday-themed theater, drinks with family… I’d be drunk and happy all month. But these are unprecedented times and like everyone else I’ve had to adjust. Thanks to wine clubs and Drizzly I have the drinking covered but theater is a different story. 

Or is it? 

I have NOT been a big fan of online theater. I’ve paid for a few readings and honestly it is not a way I enjoy my theater. I’ve tried. And I’m happy to throw money at theater groups who desperately need it right now, but it wasn’t bringing me any real joy. If it was there would be entries on this blog after March 2020…and you see there aren’t. I couldn’t bring myself to write about anything I’d seen online.

But dammit it’s December. This God-awful year is almost over and I need some genuine theater joy in my life. So when I found that more than a few organizations were putting on some Christmas shows, I jumped at the opportunity to get in on it. Maybe too fast, admittedly. At last count I had a ticket to watch 10…yes, 10…different versions of A Christmas Carol along with a stream of Norm Lewis’ annual Christmas show from 54 Below and the Moscow Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker.

I don’t do anything half-assed. It’s whole-assed or bust with me.

Some of these shows I’m excited about. Some I definitely know will pain me. But, dammit, A Christmas Carol is not only the definitive Christmas story but it’s my favorite piece of literature…and I’ve probably watched every filmed version there is: movies, television, cartoons, MUPPETS….so I thought online theater is just the next logical step.

So I’m going to write about each version of A Christmas Carol I get to view this season. I know it’s excessive but what the hell, I’m not going anywhere so why not spend my free time doing something I love?