Two planks and a passion. That’s all you need in order to make theatre, said the Spanish Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega. The planks anyone can supply: building the stage is the easy part. The passion is harder. That can only be delivered by an artist with capacious reserves of the stuff. 

Tonight, The Old Globe has one such artist with us. To say that Jefferson Mays is an extraordinary talent is an understatement. A friend of this theatre ever since his star turn in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, for which he earned a Tony nomination when the show took Broadway by storm, Jefferson has deep ties to San Diego that we’re thrilled to extend. Known for his exceptional physical and vocal versatility, his technical dexterity, and his deep emotional resources, Jefferson is compelling to watch. He’s particularly riveting with classical language—seeing him perform Shaw is one of the highlights of my theatergoing life—and his affinity for Charles Dickens makes perfect sense. He first explored his solo version of A Christmas Carol on video during the pandemic and later on Broadway, where it was a great success.

That production was a theatrical extravaganza, featuring special effects, video, costume changes, and elaborate scenery. When I called Jefferson to ask if he might want to perform it here, he told me he was interested in re-examining it—creating a modern equivalent to the readings Dickens himself gave all over the world from the time the book was published until his death. Jefferson wanted to conjure the feeling of sitting in a living room and listening to a great storyteller weaving a spell. No bells and whistles. Just two planks and a passion.

Over the course of a tight 75 minutes, Jefferson brings to life every character we’ve come to love, from Scrooge to Tiny Tim, all by himself. His performance is both a delight and a marvel, a testament to his artistry and his devotion to this story. And the tale itself is somehow rendered more powerful by the simplicity of this approach. I find that I hear it the way I hear Shakespeare: its cadences are varied and surprising, its detail rich and layered, its humor disarmingly ironic and fresh. Dickens’ broad social vision is often overshadowed in stage adaptations that focus on Scrooge’s dramatic transformation. But the thoughtful adaptation by Jefferson and his brilliant collaborator, Susan Lyons, furthering the work they did on Broadway with director Michael Arden, reveals the novel’s humanistic core, its outrage at the inequities inherent in a highly stratified society. Like all great art, this production makes me see the world anew. Scrooge is shocked to discover the human struggle evident on the streets of Victorian London, in direct proximity to its immense wealth and to his own. In turn, we are shocked to confront that same juxtaposition in our own city, and in our beloved Balboa Park. These are the connections theatre fosters, the web of meaning it spins.

Scrooge and company remind us of the necessity of compassion and generosity. Watching Jefferson Mays bring these familiar characters to life in a brand new way, a way that’s essentialized and spare, we remember to open ourselves to those around us and to see them in their full humanity. What a gift that is this Christmas season! I’m so grateful to Jefferson for bringing it here.

Thank you for coming. Enjoy the show.

Barry Edelstein is the Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director of The Old Globe.

Any feedback on tonight's show or any of the Globe's work?

Email Barry at HiBarry@TheOldGlobe.org and he'll get back to you!