Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...The Goodman’s “Christmas Carol” hasn’t significantly changed in a good number of years and I’m on record as saying that the physical production, and the adaptation, could use an overhaul. I’ll say it again here. Especially when some performances top out at $74 a ticket. But I’m also on record as saying, over a dozen times, that this is a moving and emotionally resonant piece of homegrown Chicago theater that never fails to touch one’s soul and, for some of us, is an integral part of a Chicago Christmas. And it is performed by people invested in this community."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...A Christmas Carol has decked the stages of the Goodman Theatre for 32 years, and I've seen about two dozen editions of it by now. So I confess, my passion for Charles Dickens aside, I wasn't exactly bursting with anticipation as I took yet another look on Sunday night. But what a fantastic surprise it was to discover that this might just be the sharpest, funniest, most buoyant and swiftly moving production to date, with director William Brown once again brilliantly tweaking and retooling every detail."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...The Goodman has roasted this Dickensian chestnut so long that audience members compare Scrooges (there have been seven of them) the way Bears fans rate quarterbacks. Now in his third year as the miserly curmudgeon, Larry Yando is at the top of my list."
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...The main virtues of the show are unaltered, thanks to the engrossing Dickens narrative and to the creativity of the Goodman designers, performers, and William Brown’s savvy directing. The stage comes alive as a nineteenth century incarnation of London, with a huge wardrobe of authentic and colorful costumes. As always, there is lots of music and dancing in the Victorian manner."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...Brown and Creamer's approach to this classic is family-friendly and comic, but the heart of the piece, including moments of genuine sympathy for Scrooge and pathos for the Cratchits, is all there. It remains a moving and entertaining piece. While it's easy to put off seeing a perennial like this, figuring it'll always be around next year, this production really is a must for its richness of stagecraft and acting technique as well as its always uplifting message."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...Director William Brown has added new music scenes that enhances the spirit of 1940’s London. With all productions of A Christmas Carol playing in the Chicago ares, none can compare with the Goodman’s in terms of production values and emotional depth. This is an annual holiday treasure to be savored."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...This production is as strong as the others but has added a bit more music and a little more gender bending in some of the ghostly roles. Directed by William Brown, who himself has taken on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, the total picture of the Dickens classic adapted by Tom Creamer sparkles from beginning to end."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...If you’re not filled with the holiday spirit yet, you will be after Goodman’s A Christmas Carol. Now in its 30th year, Charles Dickens‘ tale of redemption is brought to life by an all-star cast of Chicago talent, creating a emotional journey through one man’s mistakes that will resonate long after the curtain goes down."
