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This was a great adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol;" however, if you're looking for a more traditional performance, this may not be for you. The cast was great and the atmosphere was perfect for a Christmas show.
This is the best show I have ever seen. Mr. Ida is a master of the stage! Every year is a little better than the last.
I don't understand how this performance gets so many accolades nor do I see how the Dicken's family has come to offer praises as mentioned in the program. Nor do I understand the international appeal of this show. First the good things. The dancing, music, and set design are quite well done. In fact, some of the actors are outstanding: the narrator, the ghost of Christmas present, Bob Cratchit, the Cratchit family, Tiny Tim, and the young scrooge and Laura dancers, all excellent. And I loved the DPAC staff and facilities. Coming from New York City to visit for the holiday week, I really liked the cleanliness and location of the theater. Now to the bad. The comedy is way over the top and way too much. I knew going in, this was a unique comic adaptation of the Christmas Carol show, but some of the humor is hard to detect, slapstick, and at times inappropriate and out of sync. First, the self imitated erection on stage by Mr. Scrooge made me feel extremely uncomfortable with my niece, nephew and mother in attendance with me. The Viagra jokes and many Wake County/Raleigh political jokes were excessive and only understood by people who live in the area. And the magic trick with the volunteer child member from the audience, completely out of place. Then the comment to this young child that his parents should check their medications was horrendous. Not to mention the out of place jokes about the government shutdown, pop references, and the 'unfriended me' on facebook jokes. After the first act, the two ladies in front of us left, and I saw 2 others on our isle leave during the middle of the second act. And I'm sorry, but when I pay $70 for the grand tier tickets, I don't want to have 5 minutes at the end of the uplifting portion of curtain call to hear Mr. Wood sing lullaby to his grandchild. I understand it being a sentimental moment for him and his family, but do we really need to share it with the thousands of people in attendance? Many were rolling their eyes and obviously restless from sitting for 3 hours through this thing. Overall, it would not be recommended by me. I think the Triangle deserves a really good version of 'A Christmas Carol', the area is well cultured, educated, and needs better. Go see "A Christmas Carol" at the North Carolina Shakespeare festival in High Point or the Triangle's Nutcracker, both great shows, and well worth the money.
This is NOT your parents' Christmas Carol unless they've been going to the Ira David Wood III's every year. What a funny and current event twist to an old tale. Absolutely delightful entertainment. Full of fun current events built into the Scrooge tale - and the delivery of Mr. Woods is icing on the cake. He sooo owns this role and play. We will be coming back each year as it changes up with what's current. We were the 'newbies; in our row - all around us were folks who come and see it every year. I didn't understand that until we saw it. Guaranteed enjoyment for everyone, young and old!
This show is absolutely fantastic! Ira David Wood III does a fantastic job will his musical comedy adaptation of this Dickens classic, plus he always infuses the story with the true meaning of CHRISTmas. This is my second time seeing the performance, and it was a totally different experience! There are pop culture references that kept my side in stitches. My friend, for whom this was a first experience, said that this was the best thing she's ever seen! I'm hoping to continue this annual tradition!
I have seen normal performances of "A Christmas Carol" over the years by other theater groups and they have been a real "snooze fest." Ira David Wood III's version is great fun, fresh, and has wonderful music. This was my first time seeing this version and I would like to see it again next year.
This production had nice costumes & sets, but there were far too many songs, dance numbers, and unfunny references to popular culture, as well as a completely ridiculous magic trick insert with a child from the audience. It's great that the "stars" enjoyed themselves, but the performance played like a series of inside jokes found hilarious by the actors, and not the audience. This was not a performance geared toward families with children! It was far too long to sit through for an adult, let alone a child. I would not recommend this performance to anyone, and sadly the theater company was set up in the lobby to sell memberships. Not a good idea, as I was so disappointed in this excruciatingly long and lame play, that I will not be attending any other of their performances. This was overpriced, and painful to sit through.
It has been a while since we last saw the Christmas Carol. An amazing show they put on. Took our older sons this time and they had a great time.
As a fan of Charles Dickens, I appreciate the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and the lessons he learned. I found this variation quite disappointing with too much political commentary and awkward use of references to pop culture. I felt that the actor portraying Scrooge was trying too hard to be comedic and using jokes that were out of place in this classic story. The stage setting, singers and dancers were enjoyable, but overall not something I would recommend.
This show went on and on, and bore little resemblance to the Dickens tale. It summoned up too many contemporary political goings-on, referenced WAY to much pop-culture, and could have been called the "Ira David Wood III Variety Show-&-Ego Trip." The appearance of Elvis was over the top, and boring for my grandchildren, one of whom fell asleep at Elvis time. This was not what I expected. It wasn't all bad. Highlights were the sweet little Ghost of Christmas Past, the charming, booming Ghost of Christmas present, and the scenery and caroling. Wood is clearly gifted and I'd love to see him in stand-up comedy. But the show was top-heavy with Ira David Wood III, and the Dickens moral got lost in the fray.
Ira David Wood is an amazing man with unlimited talents and the heart to match. The play was wonderful again this year and as funny as it was it was also very touching and tugged on the heart strings. Dpac is the best location - the seating is good, sound is just right and it is small enough to feel like you are a part of the play. Raleigh is a good location as well but Dpac has it beat by far.
Duck dynasty spoiled the night. That should not have been there in my our opinion.
Great show! Funny and heartwarming. I took my mother and two children; 8 & 10. They all loved it and wanted to see it again later that week. We'll definitely be back next year.!
I can't say enough about this production. Ira David Wood III is extrordinary. He can write, produce, direct, act, sing and dance. The cast was amazing as well. A must see.
Our Christmas would not be complete without attending this performance. The story is ageless but is told a little differently each year. The range of speaking and singing voices that Ira David Woods III uses is truly amazing. The cast is huge and consists of extremely talented actors dancers and singers. You will leave feeling better about youself and your fellow humans.
Music was fabulous. Acting was superb. Sets were beautiful. Dance numbers were flawless. My childhood memories of attending IRA David Wood's "A Christmas Carol" are precious to me, and I could not wait to share them with my 3 teenaged children. What made the show fall flat with my kids was the inordinate number of really bad jokes. At first they were cute and reminded me why I loved this version of the story as a child. - It doesn't take itself too seriously. However, as the evening went on, I felt like the show had become a spoof of the original, but then a heartfelt number would come along making it seem like Wood's version of the story was meant to be taken seriously. We loved many of the clever puns and popular references that made you think- including the labels on Scrooge's file boxes. I even hate Duck Dynasty, but found the Ghost of Christmas Future to be a hilarious surprise! However, too many cheap jokes cheapened the whole performance.
fun filled time. more comedy than we were expecting, but a refreshing change.
Show was amazing, comedic, touching, great entertainment.
The show was amazing. The actors, the voices, the staging and the sound system were excellent in the beautiful Raleigh Memorial Auditorium However, our experience was ruined by the exit procedures that took way too long. The usher yelling at us not to use the exit door was very upsetting.
Ira David Wood and cast were awesome, as usual. We have been going to the Christmas Carol every other year (alternating with the Nutcracker) for the past 15 or so years. Ira's performance, like fine wine, seems to get better with age. This was one of the best performances yet!