A VHS CHRISTMAS CAROL LIVE! (2020-2022)

Balladeer’s Blog’s 2023 Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues as we hurl toward the holiday!

A VHS CHRISTMAS CAROL LIVE – I was going to save my review of this 45-minute StarKid musical adaptation of the Dickens classic for Christmas Day itself, but I changed my mind.

I consider this production to be so well done that I want to give a heads-up to other Carol fans so they have some lead time to try to squeeze in a viewing this Christmas Season. 

Like Jesus Christ Superstar long ago, A VHS Christmas Carol began as a concept album then became a full stage and online streaming event. The reason for the “VHS” part of the title is that the production uses 1980s style pop music and aesthetics as its theme. There’s a palpable feel of watching an old 80s VHS tape of music videos of the time.

The cast members perform their roles in costumes which make each of them pastiches AND composites of recognizable 1980s pop singers. They don’t stoop to doing impressions of those singers, they stay in character and stay true to the musical vibe of the score. But you can’t help but smile at the 80s pop culture mainstays they put you in mind of. 

The show is all in song, and in 2020 it was streamed from multiple locations, then in 2021 and 2022 was performed live on stage in Los Angeles, with the 2022 effort being captured for video. I prefer the 2022 live version, personally. It retains enough of the 1980s feel without the sometimes overdone ’80s video cheese of the 2020 version.

That 2020 version terrifically captures an MTV feel, but it’s strictly a 1981 and 1982 MTV feel when the music videos were so rough they were almost like public access cable productions. This 2022 version is directed by Corey Lubowich and gets a big boost from the energy of the live performances.

DYLAN SAUNDERS portrays Ebenezer Scrooge and what he lacks in grey hair he makes up for with his singing and body language. Costume-wise, he’s strictly in a Charlie Sheen in Wall Street wardrobe until Scrooge’s morning-after conversion scene when he finally gets to go all 1980s funky with new clothes and a new attitude.

CLARK BAXTRESSER, the writer and composer of A VHS Christmas Carol, sings the narration throughout the show.

JOEY RICHTER is Bob Cratchit and reminded me of a long-haired version of Rick Moranis’ nebbish character from Ghostbusters.

COREY DORRIS plays Nephew Fred, and terrifically captures Fred’s warmth and good spirits.

The Ghosts are where most of the 1980s pastiches come in: 

MEREDITH STEPIEN portrays a female Marley’s Ghost in a stern, Annie Lennox type of androgynous way. She just mimes having chains in the minimalist nature of this live stage version. Stepien later shows up as Jane Cratchit and as a Party Guest at Nephew Fred’s Christmas party. 

JAIME LYN BEATTY steals the show as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Her costume and props are all about Olivia Newton-John in her video for Physical and her singing plus overall performance is great. She effortlessly transitions from lightness to stirring.

Beatty more than earns all the applause and whoops she gets from the live audience.

JAMES TOLBERT plays the Ghost of Chrstmas Present and is in tight competition with Jamie Lyn Beatty for the best character in A VHS Christmas Carol. Through his performance, moves and wardrobe he manages the seemingly impossible task of being a composite of Prince, Michael Jackson AND George Michael.

           He gets my favorite song, too – Christmas Electricity. Tolbert also plays an employee of Fezziwig during the Christmas Past portion.

JANAYA JONES brings to life Scrooge’s lost love Belle as a visual combination of 1980s Whitney Houston and Patti LaBelle.

This Belle is better than most Belles in other versions of A Christmas Carol and I genuinely could have stood seeing more of her.

JAMIE BURNS is the actress playing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. She does well and her part is brilliantly written by Clark Baxtresser to keep her wordless. Her mournful yet musical wail is employed in different contexts which add to the emotion of the sights she shows Scrooge. His name is the only thing she articulates.

           Burns also plays Belinda Cratchit and a Fezziwig Employee. Her big hair – well, big wig – as the Ghost is her contribution to the 80s feel.  

LAUREN LOPEZ portrays Scrooge’s sister Fan and Mrs. Cratchit, but also appears as one of the Charity Collectors and a guest at Fred’s party. I may have missed any 1980s significance about her “look.”

BRIAN HOLDEN gives us a Tiny Tim who is part Emo Phillips and part Martin Short, especially as Ed Grimley. Some may disagree with the idea of a serio-comic version of Tiny Tim, but given that the role is played by an adult-sized actor I was okay with it.

           Holden does additional duty as a Fezziwig Employee, a Scavenger at Old Joe’s, a Non-Mourner of Scrooge in the future and as one of Fred’s party guests. 

A.J. HOLMES plays Fezziwig in an appropriately jolly manner. He also appears as one of the Charity Collectors, a Party Guest and a Scavenger.

BRIAN ROSENTHAL portrays Young Scrooge as well as a snarky Peter Cratchit, a Party Guest, a Non-Mourner of Scrooge and a Scavenger.

ALI GORDON is the actress who played the Boy Who Gets The Turkey in the original 2020 streaming version of A VHS Christmas Carol and that archive footage is cleverly used here passing as the view outside Scrooge’s bedroom window. The “boy” reminded me of Fred Savage in the 1980s show The Wonder Years. 

I could praise this production all day. The lyrics to the songs sneak in some of the more obscure parts of Dickens’ dialogue from the novel, including the “Why a poor man’s most of all?” exchange from the Christmas Present segment. There are many others, but that was my favorite. 

To return to my Jesus Christ Superstar comparison earlier in this review, let me make it clear that A VHS Christmas Carol does not imitate that musical, I mean that it does for the Carol what Jesus Christ Superstar did for Passion Plays. And it does it better than many conventional musical adaptations of the story do. 

A couple of times the lyrics refer to Scrooge as “a dick” so if that’s enough to prevent you from watching this work, then so be it.    

If you don’t like musicals, obviously this may not be for you. On the other hand, it’s only 45 minutes and it actually has the kind of songs your kids may get into, making this a treat for the whole family.

FOR MORE VERSIONS OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL CLICK HERE:   https://glitternight.com/category/a-christmas-carol-2/