A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre in Chicago
The story remains the one audiences cherish: bitter, tight-fisted Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, and then by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Together, they force him to confront his lonely childhood, the love he squandered, the hardship endured by the Cratchit family, and the chilling future that awaits if he refuses to change. By Christmas morning, Scrooge emerges transformed, embracing generosity, community, and joy in a redemption arc that critics agree still lands with powerful emotional force, no matter how many times you’ve seen it.This year’s production, adapted by Tom Creamer and directed by Malkia Stampley, is being praised for feeling both familiar and freshly invigorated. Reviewers single out how deftly the staging balances the darkness of Dickens’ social critique with the warmth and humor of the holiday celebrations, creating a show that is at once spooky, funny, and deeply humane. The production is frequently described as one of the most musical and heartfelt versions of the tale, with a propulsive energy that keeps the evening moving while still making time for quiet, tender moments.
At the center of it all is Christopher Donahue’s Scrooge, a performance many critics call both sharply layered and unexpectedly touching. He leans into the character’s flinty sarcasm at the start, making his early scenes with Bob Cratchit especially biting, then gradually reveals the raw vulnerability beneath the bluster as the ghosts peel back the years. By the time Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, Donahue’s exuberant delight and almost childlike giddiness give the production its emotional payoff, sending audiences out of the theater with the sense that a hardened soul really can change.
The design team’s work is another element that critics consistently celebrate year after year, and 2025 is no exception. Todd Rosenthal’s towering, storybook London streets and interiors shift and transform in front of the audience’s eyes, while Heidi Sue McMath’s richly detailed period costumes wrap the ensemble in Victorian silhouettes that still feel vivid and alive. Reviewers rave about the “eye-popping” ghostly effects, the flying sequences, and the way lighting and sound combine to make Marley’s chains rattle the rafters and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come loom like a nightmare out of the fog. The live musicians, who weave in and out of the action with fiddles, horn, percussion, and carols, help create a festive soundscape that makes the show feel part play, part holiday concert.
The ensemble itself draws glowing notices for its versatility and heart. Jon Hudson Odom’s Bob Cratchit has been singled out for his warmth and quiet dignity, while Bethany Thomas’s Ghost of Christmas Present brings both booming joy and pointed seriousness, especially in the scene that confronts Scrooge with the spectral children Ignorance and Want. Audiences also respond strongly to the Fezziwig party scenes, where Robert Schleifer and Christina Clark lead exuberant dancing and revelry, and to the bustling street tableaux that make Dickens’ London feel crowded with life. Many critics note how the production’s inclusive, multiracial casting and use of American Sign Language expand the story’s reach and underline its message that everyone, regardless of background, belongs in this celebration.
What emerges, as has been the case for decades, is a production that Chicago critics simply love. Outlets across the city continue to describe Goodman’s “A Christmas Carol” as a crown jewel of the holiday season, a perennial favorite, and quite possibly the best Christmas show in town, praising the way it somehow feels “bigger and better than ever” while remaining true to Dickens’ original heart. Year after year, reviewers highlight how this staging never coasts on tradition; instead, it refreshes itself with new cast members, design touches, and staging choices that keep the story immediate and resonant for modern audiences.
Running roughly two and a half hours with one intermission, Goodman Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” offers Chicago theatergoers a full evening of spectacle, music, scares, and sentiment, capped by a finale that sends Scrooge—and the audience—into the night brimming with holiday spirit. With performances through December 31, 2025, it remains the city’s quintessential way to ring in the season and to be reminded, as the critics happily are each year, that kindness and generosity never go out of style.
To see a list of all holiday plays in Chicago, visit our Holiday Plays In Chicago page.