A few caveats. First, I actually saw this the first time the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Second, I've seen this production before--a few times each the past couple of years. Ford's Theatre does A Christmas Carol every year, and usually does the same production of it for 3 years. Third, I volunteer at Ford's, in the museum and ushering. I can't really be terribly objective about it, because I'm friends with people involved. So.
It's an incredibly enjoyable production. It moves quickly, it blends traditional Christmas songs fairly seamlessly, and uses a lot of Dickens's language. (My favorite line, by far, is "There's more of gravy than of grave about you.") Edward Gero plays a fantastic Scrooge; he's legit threatening to people who ask him for money or wish him merry Christmas. (My other favorite exchange, between a man soliciting donations and Scrooge: "What shall we put you down for?" "Nothing." "You wish to remain anonymous?" "I wish to be left alone.") He manages to balance that well with his more comedic moments.
My main problem with the show is that it's a bit heavy-handed; I think that in it, Scrooge starts to change far too quickly--we see him start to regret things in the beginning of the very first "flashback" of The Ghost of Christmas Past (Felicia Curry, whom I adore). There's also a fairly lengthy dance sequence at Fezziwig's; I'd complain, except that it's fun, and they do need to pad the show a bit; the run time is a touch under 2 hours.
Otherwise...enjoy the cast, enjoy the show. My dad loved it. It's really a can't-miss for entertainment this time of year.
(Which is good. I'm scheduled to usher twice more this month.)
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