BAH HUMBUG—Or Was It?🎄

From left to right, Vada Potteiger as Tiny Tim, Liz Munkwitz as Mrs. Cratchit, Norah Munkwitz as Belinda Cratchit, Belle Patten as Martha Cratchit, Tobias Imes Benischek as Peter Cratchit, and Danny Polaski as Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol: the Musical at Lake Country Playhouse. Photo credit: Photo credit: Jim Baker.

A review of A Christmas Carol: the Musical

by Lorelei Hardt, age 13

BAH HUMBUG!!! A Christmas Carol at Lake Country Playhouse is such a festive and heart-warming show. Lake Country Playhouse has been doing this show for 14 years!! I came into seeing this show excited to see what veteran actors and newcomers would bring to the stage.

Michael Chobanoff (Ebenezer Scrooge) played a terrific villain and expressed so much emotion to the characters around him that it even made me scared of him! When he had a change of heart, he became a very kind character and spread Christmas cheer. Danny Polaski (Bob Cratchit), Liz Munkwitz (Mrs. Cratchit), Tobias Imes Benischek (Peter Cratchit), Belle Patten (Martha Cratchit), Norah Munkwitz (Belinda Cratchit), and Vada Potteiger (Tiny Tim) showed how it is to be a loving family of six through the hardest time in the winter in cold London. Danny and Liz showed so much emotion in their characters. They really seemed connected to each other as actors. They seemed very comfortable playing spouses together on stage. The Cratchit Family put so much hope into the story and their characters. They portrayed having such a positive outlook on life. They didn’t have much, but, as long as they had each other, they had it all.

The cast members who were chosen to sing the songs in the show were amazing. I can tell they worked so hard on perfecting it. One thing I was surprised by was how big the age range of the cast is. I believe the youngest was seven and the range went all the way to adults, which surprised me. The little kids were so professional and didn’t mess up at all, which was very impressive.

The costumes, designed by Nancy Hurd, Sharon Jahneke, and Paula Norwig, were great as well. They showed how the time was back then in London. Even without me seeing the show and just seeing the costumes, I would be able to tell who was wealthier and who wasn’t, which helped build the story.

One thing that was distracting was I could hear loud feet on the stairs and some stepping above our heads. This interfered with some scenes, but was very minimal. 

The whole cast poured their heart and soul into this production and proved that even if the person seems so bad, they can change and might become the nicest person you could meet and go on to make a big difference.

See more shows like this at Lake Country Playhouse!