Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Manual Cinema merges 19th-century literature with 21st-century flair. The ghost of Christmas Present has “hella” siblings. There are stab-sharp references to a health care system that lets children like Tiny Tim die and a monetary system where the incredibly rich get richer while the poor, like the family of Scrooge’s clerk Bob Cratchit, live on the threshold of starvation."
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."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...As someone who is ever the cynic about telling the same old stories every year under the guise of tradition, A Christmas Carol rarely draws me in. Manual Cinema’s latest production, however, takes a Christmas classic and makes it new again. Told through the eyes of a narrator who shares my skepticism, Dickens’ nearly 200-year-old tale becomes something modern and accessible, shaped by humor and a perspective that understands both the fatigue of repetition and the value of returning to the story."
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."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...Emmy Award-winning Manual Cinema returns to the historic Studebaker Theater with their one-of-a-kind production of “Christmas Carol,” adapted from the Charles Dickens novel. Now in its fifth year, “Christmas Carol” was born on Zoom screens during the pandemic in December 2020 before moving to Writer’s Theatre in 2022 where it was first mounted for a live audience. This classic story, playing through December 28th, is reimagined in a way that is sure to give you hope for not just the holiday season, but for the future of live performance."
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."
