Let me ask you something: when was the last time you sat still in December? Not scrolling through your phone. Not pretending to pay attention but actually being fully there. If you’re like most people, you probably can’t remember. December tends to mix into many reservations, including shopping, parties, work deadlines, and family gatherings. In all that mess, the true feeling of the Christmas season often gets lost. This is why I want to tell you about The Wonderheads’ production of A Christmas Carol.
What makes this version different is that The Wonderheads do not use a single word. They have crafted the entire show around mask theatre, physical storytelling, and visual design. Scrooge appears with an oversized mask, silent and towering. You can see who he is through his movements, the hunch of his shoulders, the sharpness of his gestures, and how he seems to push the world away with each step.
Each ghost brings its own visual presence, the Ghost of Christmas Past is delicate and glowing, moving softly and quietly. The entire theatre goes quiet when it appears. This creates that rare moment where everyone collectively holds their breath in response to something truly beautiful. The Ghost of Christmas Present is the opposite: loud, joyful, almost overwhelming. Audiences laugh in a way that hilarious and memorable. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come changes the mood completely, becoming unsettling and uneasy. This makes Scrooge’s story feels more impactful, where Tiny Tim appears as a puppet, small and vulnerable. According to those who’ve seen it before, he becomes the emotional heart of the show. Scrooge’s transformation unfolds entirely through movement which there is no grand speech. It’s about how he holds himself differently and how his movements soften. The audience after watching the theatrical version of the Wonderheads, they bring back memories of the past, reliving the moments that are presented with their families from the past and the present.
The Wonderheads have created something that encourages us to slow down, to sit in the theatre and watch a familiar story to affect you in a new way. It won’t change your holiday schedule, but it may give you two hours to relax. That might be exactly what you need.
Ben Chan kchan467@my.bcit.ca