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If you enjoyed A Late Summer Night’s Stroll, catch A Walking Xmas Carol . | NICHOLAS COULTER
[ S TA G E ]
The Ghost of Christmas Recast St. Louis Shakespeare Festival announces new walking tour based on A Christmas Carol Written by
RILEY MACK
A
s St. Louis heads into the winter months and events move indoors, ways to socialize while still social distancing will begin to dwindle. However, the crew who regularly brings us the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is here to provide a little joy for your holiday season with a brand-new window-walk performance. This year, instead of their normal hibernation during the winter season, the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival organizers have decided to create A Walking Xmas Carol. The free, twenty-stop, outdoor holiday window tour will take place in the Central West End from November 28 through December 23. Attendees will walk past storefronts, each depicting a scene from the holiday classic A Christmas Carol. A windowwalk event is not new to the Central West End, as the neighborhood has put on a similar event for the past decade, but the Shakespeare crew plans to add their own twist to the tradition. As Tom Ridgely, producing artistic director, says, “This is not just your grand-
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mother’s Christmas Carol.” In contrast to the classically beautiful Central West End, the story will be a modern telling of the beloved Dickens tale. The crew is adapting the original narrative to reflect our new normal, particularly focusing on our relationships throughout the pandemic. Another contemporary alteration involves QR codes at each display for visitors to hear the Q Brothers’ hip-hop adaptation of the soundtrack. For the festival crew, the limitations of the coronavirus pandemic have actually served as a source of inspiration in creating the show. As office parties, Nutcracker productions, Christmas musicals, symphony orchestras and more are off the docket for this holiday season, Ridgely knew they had to step in. “We just realized that so many things that make this time of year not just special, but bearable, won’t be possible — the gathering, the travels, the celebrations,” Ridgely says. “We had to find a way to still live out our mission — we had to use art and stories to spread joy and understanding.” With COVID-19 emptying storefronts across St. Louis, the Shakespeare crew wanted to breathe some life into their city. In the Central West End particularly, they plan to incorporate the vacant spaces as part of their show. “Rather than have them sit empty, we can turn them into something beautiful,” Ridgely explains. So although usual holiday traditions may be canceled this year, a new and safe one can be made through the walking tour. Organizers believe everyone should come out to see the show and experience some well-deserved joy this winter season. “It just brings a little light,” Ridgley says. n
NOVEMBER 18-24, 2020
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Must-See Movies In pandemic times, it’s challenging to find things to do that don’t put yourself or those around you in danger. And while we’re inclined to suggest that the safest event is no event, we also know that sounds a lot like abstinence-only sex ed, and you guys are probably gonna fuck anyway. So consider these recommendations your condoms: not foolproof, but safer than other options. Live-streamed events are the masturbation of events in this way, because — you know what, we’re gonna go ahead and abandon this metaphor before we get in over our heads.
2020 ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL t’s been a long pandemic, and things are only heating up again. o you know what t’s time to make the most of this weird backwards opportunity you’ve been given. f you’ve always meant to actually go to the t. ouis nternational Film Festival but couldn’t find the time Tada ere you go This year’s FF is, of course, all online — which means you have a huge new batch of movies and shorts to tap into just as you get sick of poking through et ix yet again. The festival is a dazzling international smorgasbord, featuring over documentary features and shorts and more than 200 narrative features and shorts. t’s a giant and beautiful festival full of insight, comedy, magic, mystery, history, harrowing truths,
life-affirming stories, enchanted animations and so much more. hich can be overwhelming — so we’ve put together this list of suggestions to get you oriented. ost are available for viewing from now through unday, ovember , and virtual tickets can be purchased individually or via passes at cinemastlouis.org sliff festival-home. tay home, stay safe and stay entertained
Lucky Grandma
Grumpy Grandma ong Tsai hin is widowed and barely making ends meet in her tiny hinatown apartment when a fortune teller tells her that she’s about to hit a very lucky streak. She gets herself to a casino and finds out that her luck is real but not uncomplicated. efore long she has to hire a bodyguard, Big Pong siao- uan a , to protect her from a local gang’s predations.
