Storytelling performance of A Christmas Carol at Warenar wows audience

Audiences at the Warenar Theater were treated to an extraordinary telling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 by master storyteller Ashley Ramsden. A Christmas Carol is the classic tale of a greedy and heartless man named Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his departed business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him he will be visited by three more spirits during the night. Those spirits are the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, who remind Scrooge of who he used to be, how his current actions and lack of humanity affect others, and his future if he continues on his current path.

By Megan Walch

In the age of Netflix and Disney+, it seems there is always something immediately accessible to entertain us, and there are almost endless options for viewing A Christmas Carol, whether as an authentic adaptation or a more creative interpretation, with productions seeming to grow bigger each year. This is perhaps, why the performance at the Warenar was so special and unique. It had none of the glitz of a Broadway or movie production. There was no set, no costume changes, no special effects. It was, for the most part, one man, telling a story. But it was also, so much more than that.

To describe Ramsden as a master storyteller feels as though it does not do justice to his ability. It is often said that some actors have “it” and some do not. Ramsden has “it”. Not only does he have the ability to take the audience on a journey with him, he possesses a magnetism that holds the audience spellbound until he releases them.

Ramsden played the part of narrator, as well as virtually every character in the book, save the party guests. Those roles went to the Plumpudding Singers, a Victorian singing quartet who accompanied the show, sprinkling in just enough songs to maintain interest and add to the storytelling, but without making it feel like a musical.

For his roles, Ramsden passed seamlessly between characters and narration, only ever slightly changing the affect of his voice, but still fully embodying the characters he became. He also masterfully used silence to build tension, and perfectly released it with humor peppered throughout the performance. The one prop that was used during the production, a chair, was cleverly used in a variety of ways, at one point being dragged across stage, the sound creating a sense of dread.

Lighting in the theater was used ingeniously, with house lights staying on during the beginning of the performance and darkening to coincide with the time of day in the play. Spotlights and shadows were used to create illusions, but without being distracting. The show was paced well, with perhaps the only lull occurring approximately two-thirds of the way through the 90-minute staging. This was, however, more the result of Dickens’ writing, rather than Ramsden’s performance.

The only true disappointment in the show was the slowness in which the audience gave a standing ovation for Ramsden, which was well-deserved. Although the production might not be well-suited for young children, any fan of Dickens, storytelling, or theater will find this performance riveting. This is the perfect Christmas show to begin the holidays.