Scrooge benched in favour of Little Women as Theatre Calgary holiday show
![Little Women Theatre Calgary is presenting Little Women as its holiday show this year](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2022/12/8/little-women-1-6186750-1670531581006.jpg)
If there's no "Bah, humbug" bellowing off the city's biggest stage, can it really be Christmas time in Calgary?
After more than three decades of performing A Christmas Carol, the theatre is changing it up this holiday season.
Concerned that a 40-person cast and crew was too big a COVID-19 risk, the theatre opted for a smaller production this year, said artistic director Stafford Arima, in a release.
"We have long had a deep connection to Calgary’s holiday season, and we take this seriously," Arima said. "When planning our season more than a year ago, and not knowing what the COVID-19 climate would be, large shows like Carol (with more than 40 cast and crew) come with much higher risk. In order to be able to deliver on our tradition of entertaining families over the holidays, we still wanted to present a rich, family classic on our stage, and this is a very special opportunity to share this story together."
A unique adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, adapted by playwright Kate Hamill, is stepping in for Scrooge this year, and running through Dec. 31.
The production, directed by Jenna Rodgers, is a Victorian-era romp that tells the story of the four March sisters, led by Jo, an aspiring novelist who refuses to play by the rules set out by 19th century society in Concord, Mass., while the family's dad is away fighting in the Civil War.
A film adaptation released in 2019 earned six Oscar nominations and won for costume design.
Theatre Calgary's cast includes award-winning playwright Tara Beagan, who won the 2020 Siminovitch Award and whose play Honour Beat had its world premiere at Theatre Calgary in 2018.
Calgary-based playwrights Tara Beagan (above) and Karen Hines were shortlisted for the prestigious Siminovitch Prize this week, the most lucrative award in Canadian theatre
"I believe that many people find themselves drawn to one – if not all – of the March sisters," said Rodgers, who is making her Theatre Calgary directorial debut. "They are beautifully fleshed out characters, and in a world where women are often cast as secondary characters, there is inevitable appeal. At its heart, it’s a story about growing up, the importance of family and all of the complications faced along the way."
Little Women plays in the Max Bell Theatre at Arts Commons, with tickets starting as low as $40.
A Christmas Carol will start a new streak next year, according to Arima who said, "We will be bringing back the full-scale, celebrated A Christmas Carol to our stage in 2023."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6944829.1719591965!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
TREND LINE Trudeau Liberals 'under siege' across the country, with Conservatives cracking red 'fortresses' like Toronto and Vancouver: Nanos
Hot on the heels of the Conservatives’ stunning byelection victory in the riding of Toronto—St. Paul’s, new seat projection data from Nanos Research show ridings considered previously safe for the Liberals are increasingly up for grabs.
New charges against Frank Stronach involve 7 additional complainants: court documents
Billionaire businessman Frank Stronach stands charged with sexually assaulting seven additional complainants from 1977 to as recently as February, court documents filed Friday show, bringing the total number of accusers in his case to 10.
Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Is homemade sunscreen safe to use? Here's why it's 'a horrible idea,' according to experts
If you could make sunscreen with items found in your kitchen pantry, should you do it? Posts from social media influencers and bloggers including recipes to make your own sunscreen have been wildly circulated online, but the dermatologists who spoke to CTVNews.ca call it a 'horrible idea.'
Need multiple alarms to wake up in the morning? Here's what could be happening, according to experts
If you are clogging your clock app with multiple morning alarms, you’re setting yourself up for a groggy morning, experts say.
'His heart still beats on': Young track star remembered for giving the gift of life
Not a day goes by when Scott and Amanda Cadman don’t think about their son Kirk.
Biden concedes debate fumbles but declares he will defend democracy. Dems stick by him ─ for now
U.S. President Joe Biden forcefully tried on Friday to quell Democratic anxieties over his unsteady showing in his debate with former President Donald Trump, as elected members of his party closed ranks around him in an effort to shut down talk of replacing him atop the ticket.
Russia to prepare a 'response' to U.S. drones over Black Sea
Russia's defence minister ordered officials to prepare a 'response' to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the ministry said Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.
Fines related to neighbour's 443 noise complaints at centre of B.C. dispute
A B.C. condo owner who was fined tens of thousands of dollars over hundreds of noise complaints made by his downstairs neighbour was partially successful in having the penalties overturned.