VHS Christmas Carol
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| A VHS Christmas Carol | |
|---|---|
| A Live Visual Album | |
| Music | Clark Baxtresser |
| Basis | A Christmas Carol |
| Premiere | December 11, 2020: Looped |
| Productions | A VHS Christmas Carol- Looped (2020) VHS Christmas Carol Live!- The Bourbon Room (2021) |
Search VHS Christmas Carol on Amazon.
A VHS Christmas Carol is a live visual album and musical written by Clark Baxtresser.[1] and produced by StarKid Productions. The musical is a retelling of the story of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol told through 80s style music and music videos. The album was performed live online on Looped from December 11 to 13, 2020,[1] and was performed live at The Bourbon Room in Los Angeles from December 9 to 11, 2021.[2] A cast recording was released on December 11, 2020.[3]
Development[edit]
A VHS Christmas Carol was announced via a trailer on StarKid Productions' YouTube channel on December 6, 2020 and was streamed live on Looped from December 11 to 23, 2020. The livestreamed release featured the actors performing from their own homes, using editing to make them appear on screen together due to the COVID-19 pandemic making live productions impossible. Following this livestream release, the visual album was made available[4] for 48 hour rental until January 1, 2021[5]
The follow year StarKid productions announced a live version of the visual album entitled VHS Christmas Carol Live!.[2] This was positioned as an immersive concert experience and was announced via a trailer on StarKid Productions' YouTube channel on November 15, 2021[6]. The live concert ran at The Bourbon Room in Los Angeles from December 9 to 11, 2021, and was streamed live the following weekend.
Synopsis[edit]
The show begins with the Narrator introducing Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and greedy businessman who cares only about himself and despises Christmas. As Scrooge is working, his nephew Fred arrives at his office and invites Scrooge to dinner at his house on the following day. Scrooge scoffs at his nephews offer, shouting bah humbug in his face, and Fred leaves. Later on, two men appear at Scrooge's door collecting donations for the poor. Scrooge kicks them out. Following this, Bob Cratchit appears and asks Scrooge to have Christmas off from work, so he can spend it with his family. Scrooge agrees to let him have the day off on the condition that he comes into work early the next day. The full cast then appears on-screen singing about how terrible Scrooge is. ("Bah Humbug!"[7])
Scrooge later returns home and sits to eat his gruel when he's interrupted by the ghost of his old business partner and friend Jacob Marley. Jacob warns Scrooge about how his greed in life has trapped him in chains to the mortal world, so he's forced to look at how he could have lived his life better. He warns Scrooge that he needs to improve and tells him that he's going to send three spirits to visit him that night. Marley then leaves and dances in the sky with hundreds of other ghosts. Upon seeing this, Scrooge is shocked and passes out. ("3 Spirits"[8])
At the stroke of one, Scrooge awakens to find the Ghost of Christmas Past in his room. The Ghost takes Scrooge into the Christmases of his past, beginning with the Christmas of his school days. Scrooge reflects on how his father made him stay at school over Christmas, however his sister convinced their father to allow him to come home. Scrooge then reflects on how much he misses his sister since her passing and thinks of her son Fred. Scrooge and the spirit then appear at Fezziwig's, where he used to work. The scene they appear at is the Christmas party, where the boss Mr Fezziwig gave his employees the opportunity to have a party and a good time on Christmas. This causes Scrooge to reflect upon his treatment of Bob Cratchit. Later, Scrooge relives the moment he met his former fiancé, Belle. ("I'm the Ghost"[9])
The ghost then takes Scrooge to relive the moment where he lost Belle forever. Belle tells Scrooge how he's changed as he's become more and more greedy. Scrooge then reflects on how if he met Belle today, he'd try harder to keep Belle. She gives Young Scrooge her ring back, and Belle says goodbye forever. ("That Scrooge"[10])
Scrooge finds himself back in his bedroom. He follows a light to the other room and discovers the Ghost of Christmas Present there. The Ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge about Christmas electricity, the joy spread between people at Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to Fred's Christmas party, and Scrooge finds himself having fun there in the party atmosphere. Fred even does an impression of Scrooge, much to the guests' amusement. ("Christmas Electricity"[11])
The Ghost then takes Scrooge to another Christmas party, this one is much more subdued and is the Christmas of the Cratchit family. Mrs Cratchit, Belinda, Peter and Martha are setting the table when Bob enters carrying Tiny Tim. The family shares what they feel thankful for this Christmas and express how happy they are to be together despite their destitute situation. Bob then attempts to make a toast to Scrooge, but Emily protests it and toasts her hope that Scrooge dies. Scrooge reflects on how many mouths Bob has to feed and how desperately Tiny Tim needs help. The Ghost remarks to Scrooge how he doesn't believe Tiny Tim will live much longer without it. ("Priceless"[12])
Once again Scrooge finds himself on the street where he finds the Ghost of Christmas Future. Unlike the other ghosts. the spirit doesn't speak much to Scrooge's discomfort. The ghost takes him to watch three businessmen discussing whether they're going to attend a funeral for someone who's died, one of them jokes that they'll go if there's a lunch. Scrooge feels disgusted by this disrespect and feels sorry for the dead man. The ghost then takes Scrooge to a seedy part of the city, where he sees three people dressed in rags sharing what they stole from the dead man's house. The people talk about how the guy died alone and how nobody stopped them from robbing his house. He remarks on how he wished he could see if anyone feels any emotion for this man's death. The ghost then shows him two spouses who are celebrating because he died, freeing them of their debt. Scrooge becomes irritated by this and asks if anyone can feel any tenderness for any death. Scrooge then finds himself once again in the Cratchit's house where the family mourning the death of Tiny Tim, Emily reflects on how if Scrooge has raised Bob's salary, they could have saved him. Scrooge is distressed by this and asks the spirit to tell him who the dead man from before was. Scrooge is then shown his own grave and realizes he is the dead man people were talking about. He is then sucked down into the grave. ("The Final Ghost"[13])
Scrooge awakens in his bed and reflects on the events of the night before. He feels overjoyed at the fact that he still has time to make things right in his life. He calls out to a boy on the street and gives him some money to go buy the biggest possible turkey to send to Bob. Scrooge then heads out to attends Fred's party and on the way runs into the donation man, to whom he gives a very generous donation. He then runs off to go to Fred's house. When he arrives, he apologizes to Fred for his treatment of him and asks him if he can forgive him. Fred accepts Scrooge's apology, and they party into the night. The next morning. Scrooge rushes to get into work early to surprise Bob, who walks in late. Scrooge pretends to yell at Bob but eventually gives him a raise, much to the man's shock. As a result of the night's events, Scrooge became a better man and even acted like a second father to Tiny Tim, who didn't die. The full cast then appears on-screen and reflects on how even the meanest people can change. ("Christmas Day"[14])
Roles[edit]
| Role | Looped (2020) | Los Angeles (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| The Narrator | Clark Baxtresser[1][2] | |
| Ebenezer Scrooge | Dylan Saunders[1][2] | |
| Bob Cratchit | Joey Richter[1][2] | |
| Emily Cratchit | Lauren Lopez[1][2] | |
| Tiny Tim | Brian Holden[1][2] | |
| Jacob Marley | Meredith Stepien[1][2] | |
| The Ghost of Christmas Past | Jaime Lyn Beatty[1][2] | |
| The Ghost of Christmas Present | James Tolbert[1][2] | |
| The Ghost of Christmas Future | Jamie Burns[1][2] | |
| Fred | Corey Dorris[1][2] | |
| Young Scrooge | Brian Rosenthal[1][2] | |
| Belle | Britney Coleman[1] | Janaya Mahealani Jones[2] |
| Fezziwig | A. J. Holmes[1][2] | |
| Turkey Boy | Ali Gordon[1] | |
Crew[edit]
Looped (2020)[edit]
| Crew member | Job |
|---|---|
| Clark Baxtresser | Writer |
| Corey Lubowich | Director, Producer |
| Brian Holden | Producer |
Los Angeles (2021)[edit]
| Crew member | Job |
|---|---|
| Clark Baxtresser | Writer, Keyboard 1 |
| Corey Lubowich | Director, Producer |
| Brian Holden | Producer |
| James Tolbert | Choreographer, Assistant Director |
| Jaime Lyn Beatty | Associate Producer |
| Dylan Saunders | Associate Producers |
| Tomek Miernowski | Music Production, Guitar |
| June Saito | Costume Designer |
| Sarah Petty | Lighting Designer |
| Angela F. Kiessel | Stage Manager |
| Ilana Elroi | Sound Engineer |
| Michael Kozachenko | Programmer |
| Nick Gage | Keyboard 2 |
Musical Numbers[edit]
- Bah Humbug! – Full Company
- 3 Spirits – Jacob Marley, Scrooge, Narrator
- I'm the Ghost – Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Past, Narrator
- That Scrooge – Scrooge, Young Scrooge, Belle
- Christmas Electricity – Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Present, Fred
- Priceless – Bob Cratchit, Emily Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Narrator
- The Final Ghost – Scrooge, Narrator, The Ghost of Christmas Future
- Christmas Day – Full Company[15]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 "A VHS Christmas Carol". StarKid Productions. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "VHS Christmas Carol: Live!". StarKid Productions. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ "A VHS Christmas Carol - Original Cast Recording". StarKid Productions Official Webstore. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ "Team StarKid's 'A VHS Christmas Carol' and Tin Can Bros' 'Wayward Guide' are a pair of holiday treats!". Hypable. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ "Team StarKid on Twitter: "BREAKING NEWS! We've extended the deadline for renting A VHS CHRISTMAS CAROL until midnight on Jan 1, 2021! We now anticipate being visited by the 3 NEW YEARS Spirits! Enjoy the show!" / Twitter". web.archive.org. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ↑ "A New StarKid Stage Musical for the Holidays! 📼🎄👻 - YouTube". web.archive.org. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ↑ Bah Humbug!, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ 3 Spirits, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ I'm the Ghost, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ That Scrooge, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ Christmas Electricity, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ Priceless, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ The Final Ghost, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ Christmas Day, 2020-12-14, retrieved 2022-09-12
- ↑ Original StarKid Cast of A VHS Christmas Carol. "A VHS Christmas Carol". Retrieved 2022-09-11.
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