Conor McPherson's redeeming characteristic is their balls-to-the-walls alcoholism. And redemption is precisely what they need, seeing as how the Devil himself has come to collect his due, which merely adds another layer of contradiction, as McPherson's also a non-believer. more ›

the story, simply pulling it off doesn't count for much. The good people at ACT would really have to add something for us to walk out feeling as though this were anything more than a seasonal moneymaker (hey, they've been doing it for 25 years for a reason), and surprisingly, they actually delivered. When we left, we had a new-found respect for the old Christmas warhorse, because ACT managed to make us see the classic as though for the first time, tearing away all the horrible associations we've gathered from decades-worth of mediocre adaptations and reminding us of why Dicken's century-plus-old story is so essential. more ›