Kansas City Independent: A CHRISTMAS CAROL "destined to become a classic"

We hold holiday traditions close because they remind us of family and nostalgia, of childhood and gift-giving and sparkling lights. Kansas City is famous for its long-held performance traditions, but in recent years arts groups have begun to branch out, with offerings that are a bit off the beaten path. Don’t worry: No one wants to replace our well-known favorites, but a new look at the season can be refreshing.

A choice example is the Kansas City Chorale’s local premiere of Benedict Sheehan’s A Christmas Carol (December 2nd through the 16th), a fresh version of the holiday favorite that is, I believe, destined to become a classic.

It is the brainchild of a Pennsylvania-based composer who has interwoven texts directly from the Dickens classic, as spoken by a narrator, with favorite carols and innovative special effects created entirely from choral voices.

“What I tried to do was to use the story to give a new and fresh meaning to these old, well-known Christmas carols,” Benedict said recently, “but also to use the meaning of these carols to bring out themes and emotional elements of the story.” Combining Dickens’ story, which is fundamentally about spiritual self-awareness, with actual Christmas carols seemed like a no-brainer. A Christmas Carol is not specifically a Christian story but “a story of redemption,” Benedict added, “of the idea that no matter how far gone we might be, there’s always something we can hope for, be grateful for. That we can all be a little better than we are.”

Read full article: https://kcindependent.com/the-snowy-path-less-traveled-local-arts-groups-present-an-increasing-array-of-holiday-offerings/