Charles Dickens’ ghosts of Christmas past, present and future will enjoy a musical twist during an adapted but dramatic reading of the classic novella “A Christmas Carol” at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
The dramatic reading will be accompanied by the Bloomington Chamber Singers and the Seymour High School Chorale at both performances.
Jason Wadsworth, a member of the Bloomington Chamber Singers who will perform Saturday, said the accompaniment of the carols adds to the story and to the audience’s experience.
“We would hope that this allows the audience to experience this timeless tale in a unique way that underscores the themes and message within the carol,” Wadsworth said.
The performance will include all the characters the classic tale has but will add Dickens into the mix as he narrates the story he penned.
Gerald Sousa, the chorale conductor for “God Bless Us Everyone” and Bloomington Chamber Singers Artistic director, said he hopes the audience appreciates the story regardless of the way it is told.
“I hope that they appreciate that an art form can have multiple interpretations,” Sousa said. “You can take a piece of art, whether it’s a story or a painting or a piece of music, and interpret it into a different genre.”
Sousa said the creativity the production needed has proved challenging but ultimately produced a great reward.
“One of the most challenging things is that there isn’t any model in place, so we’re sort of making it up as we go along,” Sousa said. “This is something that has a high degree of improvisation and creativity associated with it.”
Wadsworth said the creative nature of the performance has not only challenged and inspired the Bloomington Chamber Singers but has also sparked enthusiasm in the high school chorale.
“It’s been exceptionally rewarding seeing the younger generations react so positively to this timeless tale,” Wadsworth said. “The Seymour High School Chorale are eager to add their voices into the mix in affirmation of the moral of the story.”
Wadsworth said he believes adding the carols to the show enhances the story and gives the audience a new insight into the well-known story.
“I believe music is a very powerful thing,” Wadsworth said. “Music moves people on so many levels all of the time. So when we take music and pair it with performance art, it really makes what’s already a timeless classic all the greater.”
