Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The show, devised by Manual Cinema company members Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter (Nate Marshall is also credited with additional writing), is still an inventive, insightful, and at times painful portrait of self-imposed exile and the isolation of profound loss colliding with seasonal expectations of community gatherings and openheartedness. The larger space (featuring a larger projection screen so every cunning detail can still be seen in the auditorium) is expansive rather than limiting."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...Trying to describe a Manual Cinema show to someone who has never experienced it is like trying to describe tiramisu to someone who has never eaten dessert. A Manual Cinema multidisciplinary masterpiece seamlessly interweaves original live scores, actors, handcrafted props and sets and a signature technique of sophisticated shadow puppetry that uses multiple overhead projectors to create absolute theatrical magic. Their CoVid immersed updating of the Dicken’s classic tale of the real meaning of the holidays is no exception: this is an exquisitely crafted work of not to be missed theater."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Recommended
"...Surprisingly, this 70-minute story was so entertaining that I never thought back to the horrible days of Covid until writing this review. How painfully silent Christmas day felt, and how melancholy my soul felt when thinking of lost family and dear friends on Christmas Eve. I am glad the Manuel Cinema cared enough to share this remarkable shadow puppetry, Christmas Carol. It's an unforgettable and exhilarating holiday story."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"..."A Christmas Carol" is indeed a story that has been around for a long time. There are several film versions, stage versions, adaptations and even a sort of animated/paper puppet show called "Manuel Cinema's Christmas Carol" which is making a return visit to Writer's Theatre in Glencoe. This is a 70 minute that retells the story in a unique fashion."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...This powerful theatrical moment is starkly juxtaposed with the real-world scene just outside the theater doors, where dozens of homeless people huddle together under the eaves of the nearby Auditorium Theatre, seeking refuge from the cold wind off Lake Michigan-and, frankly, an even colder political wind blowing through this country."
Chicago On Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...The result is a breathtakingly tragic story, a lovely dream turned cautionary tale that slides into a haunting nightmare. Designed by Dir, Caitlin McLeod, Jackie Kelsey, Sian Silvio, and Tom Lee of the Chicago Puppet Studio, the puppets are artistically ingenious, and the trio’s music is the perfect match. Manual Cinema fills the Studebaker’s stage with a visually evocative creative feast. And somewhere between LaKecia Harris’s stunning performance as Trudy and Alicia Walter’s gorgeous vocals, Trudy and the shadow puppets’ tragic tale broke my heart."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Highly Recommended
"...But the brilliant minds of Manual Cinema aren’t willing to memory-hole the worst days of 2020 and 2021, and we’re all the richer for it. Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol at Writers Theatre is the collective’s vehicle for facing the trauma head on and then, quite movingly, illuminating a hopeful personal transformation triggered by taking stock of what’s fundamentally important about human connection in the wake of all the death and isolation."
Evanston Roundtable
- Highly Recommended
"...The classic characters, Scrooge and his ghosts of past, present and future are puppets – some one-dimensional black and white figures and some shadow puppets. Live puppeteers, somewhat foreboding in black robes and hoods, move puppets across a small puppet stage onto a large screen with a wizardry that is both technically amazing and emotionally moving."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Manual Cinema has taken the perilous path of adaptation, mixing a contemporary American storyline with an authentic period telling Dickens’ tale. Manual Cinema has long been expert at mixing old-time stage and movie craft with innovative modern stagecraft. Its “Christmas Carol” brings magic, and a magical aura to the stage in a show that seems as wondrous as theater can ever be."
