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Tri-State Theater

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

One More Chance to Catch "A Christmas Carol" at Marshall!

For some reason, Saturday evening's performance of A Christmas Carol at Marshall University didn't get mentioned in any of the publicity that I've seen (including my posts here).

Don't let that fool you - there's one more show Saturday evening at 8 p.m. at Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center, and I recommend it highly!

My pal C.E. called me Friday afternoon and suggested we see the show, so we joined the large crowd at last night's performance of the one-man show by Jack Cirillo.

What a terrific performance! I should admit right up front that I've been feeling a bit burned out on A Christmas Carol - I've seen the stage show at least once a year for I don't know how many years, in addition to numerous movie versions. I was ready to take a break from it - but I had heard great things about this version, and was happy to check it out.

Am I glad I did! Cirillo plays the part of Charles Dickens, who is on a reading tour of the United States. There's just one problem - his luggage has been misdirected, so he can't do a reading. Instead, he recites the story from memory, acting out all the parts and bringing new life to the beloved classic.

It's very much a one-man show - the only supporting elements are a modest set, an outstanding costume and makeup, some understated lighting effects and a few sound cues.

The rest, including all the characters, their individual voices and dialects, the scene descriptions, the action depicted - all comes from a powerful performance by an amazing actor.

You'll be moved to tears, you'll laugh, and you'll be throughly entertained by this amazing show.

Saturday night's your last chance to see it. I wouldn't miss it if I were you.

Highly, highly recommended!

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