Against the dark and shimmers of a snowy winter’s night, Tiny Tim Cratchit, the puppet, sits perched on his father’s shoulder. The boy’s sweet yet solemn face is illuminated by the torch of the gigantic Ghost of Christmas past, also a puppet, adorned in rich green robes and freshly fallen snow. It’s one of the most touching moments in A Christmas Carol, except this is the beloved Charles Dickens classic at Caravan Farm Theatre.
Featuring a return of the Catherine Hahn-designed 12-foot tall Christmas spirit puppets (17 feet if you count the puppet-wielding humans) that enchanted audiences in 2011, this year’s A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol will again weave epic design, a beloved story and a magical, horse-drawn adventure through the wintry landscape.
“The puppets and the masks are beautifully rendered, and they create this very larger-than-life version of the story,” says Estelle Shook, directing the play adapted by Peter Anderson. “The script is faithful to the original, but Peter brings a witty and delightful spin to it that our audience will love.
Being staged outdoors under a starry sky, where audiences are whisked off to the next ‘stave’ (or scene) on horse-drawn sleighs, enhances the show’s grandeur and connects the spiritual journey at the heart of this story to ancient themes of seasonal regeneration.
“The natural backdrop for A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol really lets us tap into the cycles of the seasons in a beautiful way,” says Shook, adding the magical and immersive show also brings audiences a rich soundscape powered by bells, percussion and a choir directed by Terry Logan.
Who will play Ebeneezer Scrooge in this rendition? Why, Elinor Holt, of course.
“She’s such a fabulous actor, and is so loved by audiences, that it was an obvious choice to cast her in this role."
The professional cast of seven includes homegrown talent such as Mary-Rose Cohen, from the Okanagan Indian Band; understudy Adam Weaver of Kelowna; Hailie Christie-Hoyle of Revelstoke, and Laara Sadiq, who recently moved to the North Okanagan. Bruce Horak (of Star Trek) returns to Caravan as Charles Dickens, Daniel Doheny plays Fred and Tom Jones reprises his role as Bob Cratchit.
Of course, some of the most highly anticipated cast members of the sleigh ride show are the heavy horses. Soon the teams will arrive for their own rehearsals: two days to learn the route, choreography and the magic of the lights, sounds and giant puppets before welcoming audiences aboard.
“It’s really quite something.”
A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol runs Dec. 3 to Jan. 5. Tickets are now on sale with pay-what-you-can nights scheduled for the start and end of the show run. For more information or to purchase tickets before they sell out, visit caravanfarmtheatre.com or call the box office at 1-866-546-8533.
