During the Thanksgiving holiday, my family saw “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” the tale of how Charles Dickens was inspired to write A Christmas Carol. This movie put us in the spirit of the holiday season; and made us even more excited to see First Financial Bank’s A Christmas Carol at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. And after watching the performance last weekend, from the bottom of my heart, I truly believe that if Mr. Dickens were alive today, he would have given a standing ovation to the entire cast and crew for their soul-touching adaptation of his most famous work.
Playing now until December 30, this is Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s 27th annual production of A Christmas Carol, which has become a yearly tradition for so many families. This is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable miser who journeys with three spirits on Christmas Eve; and learns the lessons of compassion, forgiveness and generosity. A Christmas Carol touches on humanitarian subjects that are so important to teach our children, and these lessons are mixed with joy and love throughout the play. My family was honored to see the 2pm matinée on a Saturday; and the entire Robert S. Marx Theatre was filled with cheerful patrons.
The theatre has a very intimate setting; and as the play began, the audience members were magically whisked away to 19th century Victorian London with fantastic and detailed set, lighting, sound and costume designs. My daughter observed that she felt as if she were standing in Scrooge’s accounting house; and how cold and dark it felt. And as the play continued, we sensed every emotion/feeling portrayed in a set or performed by the actors/actresses during each scene.
I would love to give a Tony Award to Bruce Cromer, who has been playing Mr. Scrooge for the past 12 years. His portrayal is priceless, better than Broadway… he is Mr. Scrooge. He made me hate and love his character, and made me feel every emotion running through Scrooge’s head. He had me laughing and crying all in one scene, Christmas Morning. And I want to thank him for perfecting his craft and making my family’s visit to the Playhouse so special. We will be back next year. To quote my daughter, “A Christmas Carol brings out the very best in everyone.”
Don’t let your family miss out on this merry production! Tickets are still available at http://www.cincyplay.com/. Also, I recommend A Christmas Carol for children in grades 3 and above. Children must be very quiet and able to sit still for a two-hour production with one 20-minute intermission.
Photo credits: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
About Ainslie:
Ainslie Gordon is a St. Louis, Missouri native and graduate of the University of Missouri’s Journalism School. Her career has focused on advertising, public relations and event planning. In 2011, Ainslie and her family moved to Cincinnati; and she became a stay-at-mom and founder of the blog, Modhousewife.
Additionally, she was a fashion/trends contributor on Fox 19 and Fox 2. Currently, Ainslie is the Marketing Director for Game On! Fitness. She is also a Girl Scout leader and enjoys volunteering throughout the community.
She lives with her husband and daughter in West Chester and loves all things Disney. You can find Ainslie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
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