A Christmas Carol Barbie

Barbie Cratchit

On December 23rd, we attended a performance of A Christmas Carol at the National Arts Center.   A newsletter touting the show described  sets and costumes uniquely all in white.   I was unimpressed as the NAC had done a white costume and set staging of Pride and Prejudice a few years ago.

But I was wrong to doubt.  To begin,  an actor with a white cane took the stage.  He told us he had 9% vision (hence legally blind) and illustrated his level of sight by asking us to cover one eye completely and then to peer through a tunnel formed over the second eye with our other hand.  The rest of the cast walked among the audience carrying large baskets filled with illustrations of the sets and costumes.  As we passed the beautiful sketches around, the actor explained that while the drawings were in glorious colour, we would see the show in white as someone with limited vision might.

Then a second actor took over the stage. He told us (through an interpreter) that he was deaf and mute.  He demonstrated how to applaud for a deaf person (hold both hands at about ear level and rotate them) and he taught us the sign for one person and the sign for everyone.  His movements were beautiful, graceful, elegant and eloquent. 

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

And then, for the next two hours, they made magic.