A Christmas Carol [Audiobook] (Audio Cassette)

Mr. Stewart is well known for his television role of Captain Jean Luc Picard. He is also an award winning thespian, and a long-term veteran of London's Royal Shakespeare Company. He has performed, "A Christmas Carol", on stage in London, New York City, and Los Angeles, and the performances given earned the highest recognition of his peers, and sold out shows.

I had the privilege to see Mr. Stewart perform his Olivier Award Winning one-man show on two occasions, and it was extraordinary. The disc will bring you his voice, and while it cannot match the presence of this actor, the listener is missing less than you might expect.

The disc cannot replace the live presence of this man. Mr. Stewart's performance is done on stage with so little in addition to his voice, short of being there, this recording is still tremendous. When on stage there are no sets, just 4 pieces of wooden furniture that he moves about, as he needs. There are no costumes, as he appeared is contemporary dress. The lighting is minimal, so when you can only listen you still have the heart of the performance, close your eyes and you can pretend you are in the theatre. There is no extravaganza on stage, no over produced ready-made soundtrack. There is one extremely talented man, relaying one of the greatest writer's works to you.

There are dozens of roles to play, he plays them all, and when a conversation takes place between multiple characters, you will think you hear multiple actors. This is an accomplished, classically trained actor delivering an extraordinary performance.

I took my Father to the show, prior to which he had no idea who Patrick Stewart was. When it was over he said that in 60 years of attending Broadway Theatre, he had seen nothing better. Enjoy!

Mr. Stewart does an outstanding job of bringing all the characters to life. Only a couple times in the two hours do I ever get a little lost as to who is saying which line, and then it's only for a few seconds. The combination of Dickens' words and Stewart's dramatization brings every character and description to vivid life.

It should be noted that this is an adaptation of the book. Some scenes have been cut, and other added for this recording. That doesn't interfere with my enjoyment, however, and I doubt that it will bother anyone else. I spend the two hours hanging on every word. It's over all too soon.

This has become a Christmas tradition I look forward to every year. Give it a try, and you will be captivated by it as well.