NEW YORK—Eternal damnation or ultimate redemption often go hand-in-hand. So it is with Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella, “A Christmas Carol,” a sparkling adaptation of which can now be seen at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. Featuring a tour-de-force performance by actor Jefferson Mays, it’s a spellbinding experience from start to finish.
The Dickens story introduced the world to Ebenezer Scrooge, someone who is, quite simply, the most miserly man in London. Scrooge is so stingy, he even deplores the idea of letting his overworked clerk Bob Cratchit have Christmas day off—or, God forbid, making a financial donation to help those less fortunate. Unsurprisingly, Scrooge regards any sort of Yuletide frivolity as nothing more than pure humbug….