Massive holiday production to close 100-year-old Ontario theatre

One of Ontario’s most historic theatres is going out in style amidst the backdrop of the holidays.

The Royal George Theatre, which has stood in the same spot in Niagara-on-the-Lake for over 100 years, is currently facing its final curtain call before its demolition and reconstruction.

In keeping with the spirit of renewal, the theatre’s final show is none other than Charles Dickens’ iconic holiday ghost story, A Christmas Carol.

The show, which has been on a foundational run at the Royal George for the last several years, is in the hands of Tim Carroll, artistic director of the Shaw Festival — the company that calls the theatre home — and a long-time director of this incarnation of the holiday classic.

This year’s production, which hybridizes music, live performances and puppets, is nothing short of monumental, according to the theatre.

As a result, Carroll was able to sit down between shows and discuss the theatre’s legacy and how this specific show is a perfect bookend for a century-long story.

[The Royal George Theatre in the centre of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s historic district. Photo by Peter Andrew Lusztyk.]

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to make things that are beautiful, knowing at the same time they will very soon be just a memory,” Carroll told yourcitywithIN.com. “I think in a way that prepared you for something like this, we aren’t aiming to dwell on the fact that this is the final performance in the Royal George as we know it.”

Even with this stoicism against the end of an era, Carroll and the team at the Royal George have not been shy in telling the public that this is the last chance to enjoy the theatre’s old bones before it is decommissioned.

Ironically enough, Carroll had no idea that the final show at the Royal George would be one that so heavily relied on themes of renewal and tearing down an old life to make way for the new one.

A prospect that, even though a tad on-the-nose, Carroll is still grateful for.

“That’s the beauty of emphemerality, especially for Scrooge, which he picks up on Christmas Day and tries to make up for a wasted life. I think what we want to convey to our audience is, if they want to make the most of the Royal George, this is their chance.”

[Graeme Somerville as Mr. Hubble with the cast of A Christmas Carol. Photo by David Cooper.]

According to representatives, the reconstruction of the Royal George will not be any small endeavour, as projections show that the theatre will not to the public in its new incarnation until 2029, at the latest.

When asked how performers were faring under the pressure of this sense of finality, Carroll said, “Actors are good at diffusing the stress of things, and honestly, are likely not thinking about it too much because they’re staying in the moment and solving the problem in front of them — which in this case, is a 15-foot-tall puppet of Jacob Marley.”

As for this particular production of Dickens’ classic, Carroll is confident that he and his production team have made something truly special and worthy of sending off such a historic piece of Ontario’s storied theatre history.

He urges guests to clear what they know about the holiday classic and prepare themselves for something magical.

“We ask you to engage your imagination, the play almost happens mid-air between the audience and the stage, sometimes quite literally so, and this magic of seeing everything come to life, well, it comes from opening your heart,” says Carroll.

[Sanjay Talwar as Ebenezer Scrooge, with the cast of A Christmas Carol. Photo by David Cooper.]

Caroll also remains grateful that this show is not only a perfect send-off, but at the same time, a wonderful sign for the future of Ontario’s live theatre community.

“There is a lack of cynicism in the eyes of this audience,” says Carroll. “I watch these young kids, and sometimes even not so young, held absolutely spellbound by what they are seeing, not glancing at their phones, forgetting that anything else in this world exists and are just immersing themselves in it — that gives me real hope.”

The Royal George Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol will run until Dec. 21, sending off a massive chapter of Ontario’s history, while simultaneously laying the foundation for a bright future.