A.C.T. (San Francisco, CA)
A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol is a Bay Area holiday tradition as beloved as the festive window displays around Union Square. Featuring nasty old Scrooge, adorable Tiny Tim, and a multigenerational cast of dozens, A Christmas Carol is a sparkling, music-infused celebration of goodwill that your family will never forget.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
All dates for this event have expired.
The last event was Wednesday December 24, 2008 / Noon. (view all dates)
A holiday tradition not to be missed. Scrooge is a mix of humor with a humble spirit. Although you know the story, one can't help but sit on edge as the spirits appear and you're transported once again to a Dicken's tale. The cast is terrific, the stage and costumes outstanding. Even balcony seats are good. At the end the cast doesn't just accept applaude, they celebrate the season and thank the audience for coming and wish us all a wonderful holiday. The perfect moment that embraces the essence of "A Christmas Carol". Definitely put this performance on your holiday list.
Highly recommended! My seven year old was glued! Feel free to wear jeans - everyone else did.
This event was a heartwarming one! It was great! My friend and I both enjoyed this very much. Happy Holiday's everyone!
It certainly brings the x'mas spirit into your heart and soul!
A.C.T.'s "A Christmas Carol" is always excellent. This year they decided to cast women in the roles of both Ghost of Christmas Past and Ghost of Christmas Present. The latter is usually a male role, but the A.C.T.'s willingness to bend that convention makes it a surprise each year.
Fantastic seats, great play, super close to the Clift Hotel for after hour drinks...costumes were beautiful and the kids performances were priceless. I even teared up for Tiny Tim ;P
We had fourth level balcony seats, but still had a pretty good view. Loved the special effects and the superb acting.
The acting and sets were truely memorable- The lead actor Mr. Carpenter excelled at everything that he attempted. I went on the opening night and everything was A-OK. The actor who acted for Marley was excellent.
It is a great play for all ages expecially children.
Everyone should see it.
Bob Neger
This was a fantastic production and the seats were very good. One small warning - if you have allergies or asthma you might want to go for balcony seats v. the orchestra seats. Again, loved the seats but this is a show that uses a LOT of theatrical smoke which wafts into the front part of the orchestra and I can hardly breathe today as a result. Still, loved the show and the great costumes and the kids did a wonderful job!
Costumes and set was fabulous. Although we have all seen the story on film or play, this was an exceptional performance that kept the audience attention throughout. I was not only pleased with the show, the price offered from Goldstar was nice....and the seats were perfect. Thank you Goldstar for providing a great service.
James Carpenter is amazing. I have never seen a Christmas Carol where I really felt for Scrooge or thought he was so human. It is a beautiful production and Dominque Lozano's direction is lovely. I hope many folks go to see this heartwarming production.
This is a totally new vision of "A Christmas Carol" - it is fast-paced, with a new script, costumes, and set. It feels modern, yet traditional. Just terrific.
A fun night with family watching an excellent production! Scrooge was great, so was Ghost of Christmas Past! The moments when Scrooge realized he was mean to others and wanted to have those moments back were captured brilliantly! The only part which I was expecting a stronger scene was Scrooge facing his own tombstone. That was supposed to be the final turning point and it came out no differently than the other moments. But, altogether very happy with this show.
A Christmas Carol, ACT, SF. Preview, Wed., 5 Dec. Seats in second balcony. We remembered our binoculars, which made all the difference! Acting was very strong. The set design of two-story balconys SR & SL were beautifully crafted. The ghost of Christmas future was truly scary and well done by stage hands. Make-up (especially the ghost of Christmas past) was beautiful. Costumes were perfect period pieces. Backdrops were funky and did not add to the overall show. Sound and lighting were almost perfect.
I used to go to see this A.C.T. show back in the late 80's and early 90's. I liked the version of the production back then MUCH more than this newer version, which I think has been performed the last 2 or 3 years. This production seemed much more "community theater"-like - the sets are not as elaborate, the sound quality not as good, and the characterization of the 3 spirits cheesy (Christmas past WAAAAAY too fruity - he needs to man-up a bit, and lose the swing, for god's sake - I don't blame the actor for this - what could he do with that costume?; future a large puppet, kind of cool but lacking something; present actually a very good actress, so that saved it - she and Scrooge were the bright spots) I know that budgetary constraints may be behind the relative sparseness of the production, but still, I don't like this adaptation as much. I would strongly recommend at least going back to the other production, even if the sets and costumes have to be simpler.
Fantastic version of A Christmas Carol, and our seats were excellent. I have always loved Dickens' tale and try to watch some version every Christmas. This was probably the most enjoyable version I have seen, and one that the whole family can enjoy. Scrooge was absolutely superb in his role--as was Marley's ghost. Don't miss it!!
A wonderful production with excellent acting, dancing, set design, music, and costumes. Scrooge was marvelously Scroogey. Marley and the ghosts were well done. Sets and props worked so seamlessly. The whole production was a treat for the ears, eyes, and spirit. Go, A.C.T.!
Sitting in the second balcony wasnt bad at all. I was still able to see and hear everything. Scrooge is an awesome actor. There were technical difficulties when i went and waited for 5 minutes but it wasnt a problem. Audience was fun.
The show was GREAT and Mr. Carpenter, the man who was Scrooge in the play was the best!! Very entertaining and a great show my whole family enjoyed very much. They had a little bit of technical difficulties near the end, but was able to get it up and going again quickly. I had GREAT seats and loved every minute.
Too bad ACT felt the need to stray from the old traditional dramatic production. This version is a modern minimalist version that disappointed us. I was expecting and looking forward to the stage filled with the drama and sets of the past years. The acting was excellent; the production was sparse.
We had superb seats though!
The Geary Theater, built in 1909, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a San Francisco City Landmark. The theater's neo-classical brick and terra cotta facade on Geary Street opens to a monumental 1,500 seat auditorium trimmed with ornamental stenciling and gilded plaster.
A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol is a Bay Area holiday tradition as beloved as the festive window displays around Union Square. Featuring nasty old Scrooge, adorable Tiny Tim, and a multigenerational cast of dozens, A Christmas Carol is a sparkling, music-infused celebration of goodwill that your family will never forget.
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