Live Entertainment in the month of Halloween

There are two holidays in October, but Christopher Columbus (rightly or wrongly) has become just another reason for government employees to have a long weekend. Halloween, on the other hand, seems to become more popular year after year.

In my youth, a few of us youngsters managed to get up a mask and a paper sack and went around to neighbors begging for treats. A typical Halloween yielded a bit of candy and a few scowls from irate folks who wished we'd just go back home. As a teenager, I took my sisters on a couple of "trick or treat" forays, but the holiday was mostly forgettable until hubby and I had children. By then, trick or treat had moved from the neighborhood to downtown for the annual "Halloween Walk." Our children always enjoyed this event.

Nowadays, even adults enjoy the macabre celebration, and a more literate way to partake in Halloween is to see a play or take a ghost tour. In our neck of the woods, there are several choices—

The Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville has a new version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which will run on weekends through the end of the month. The Aurora is also the host for Lawrenceville's Ghost Tour. There are both walking tours and trolley tours of the city. The Winder-Barrow Community Theatre is doing The Haunting of Hill House on two consecutive weekends, beginning October 29. The city of Roswell also has walking ghost tours, which leave from the city bandstand. Savannah has year-round ghost tours, and there are actually several different companies which do the "trolley tour" which is my favorite way to experience this colonial city. Another favorite venue, The Shakespeare Tavern, is doing Macbeth for six nights only, including Halloween.

While I sometimes write about terrifying situations, I don't particularly want to participate, so "haunted house" attractions don't attract me. However, for those who like this form of entertainment, here is a list of places to scream in Georgia.

A Reader’s Version

I accompanied my son and some other homeschool folks to A Christmas Carol, performed at the New American Shakespeare Tavern, on Peachtree Street in Atlanta on Tuesday. As the cast took the stage of this “reader’s version” they began with some impressive accapello caroling. The story is familiar to most people, of course, but the swiftly changing corps of narrators also brings Dicken’s prose into the spotlight.

The plot is about the change of heart of Ebenezer Scrooge, and Drew Reeves did a marvelous job of bringing him to life, with a decidedly comic overtone. Indeed, there was plenty of good humor in the entire production, yet it was done without sacrificing the poignant themes that cause this story speak to generation after generation.

The audience was mostly young folks, since we were at a student matinee performance, and I did enjoy watching their reactions, almost as much as I enjoyed the excellent acting, singing, and occasional instrumental music. Instead of a large cast and elaborate sets and props, the folks at the Shakespeare playhouse make do with a few talented actors, a bit of pantomime, and the imaginations of their audience.

I can’t quite remember every version of this story that I have seen, and I have not seen the new one which is in movie theaters this Christmas season, but I do like the television version with George C. Scott as Scrooge. About a decade ago, my sister took my daughter and me to see an excellent production of it at the Alliance Theatre, which is also in Atlanta. While I have enjoyed every play I have seen at the Shakespare playhouse, this version of A Christmas Carol stands out as perhaps the best play I have seen at the venue, and certainly it is the best version of this classic tale by Charles Dickens that I can remember.

There are many ways to celebrate Christmas, from stuff to stuffing. However, people remember experiences more than either material goods or food, and seeing A Christmas Carol in an intimate playhouse with an enthusiastic audience is a highlight of the season.