Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Mix Dickens with Dante, then sprinkle in some offbeat celestial humor à la “Good Omens,” and you’ll get something like “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.” Written by Tom Mula, this solo play follows the travails of Ebenezer Scrooge’s late business partner as he navigates the afterlife, which involves a surprising amount of paperwork. Now onstage at Lifeline Theatre, this minimalist production blends the snarky, the sweet and the supernatural."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Lifeline Theatre’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol returns for the second year (it netted a Jeff nomination for Phil Timberlake in 2024) with its production unchanged. The show is staged with minimal fuss: a small table with a goblet and candle, three blocks, and a shimmering curtain of stars reaching almost to the ceiling. Apart from providing a lovely backdrop, the height of the curtain also has the effect of diminishing Marley in stature — an effect that comes into stunning relief at the end of the play. The focus in this show is purely on the actor, although Diane Fairchild’s Jeff-winning lighting design does a fair bit of heavy lifting as well."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...Marley flies by in 90 enchanted minutes with a 10-minute intermission. Whatever redemption you need, Marley reminds us to embrace your best self and ‘bless the darkness as bright and shining stars’ because don’t we all need a little hope that the greedy will see the light in these dark times?"