Holiday productions and Goodman offer humor, tradition

The Goodman Theatre is celebrating the holiday season with comedy and tradition. The stage comedy Local Time 9-11 AM is directed by Chuck Smith, and Christmas Carol, a holiday tradition, returns for its 31st season with William Brown directing and Larry Y

The Goodman Theatre is celebrating the holiday season with comedy and tradition.

The stage comedy Local Time 9-11 AM is directed by Chuck Smith, and Christmas Carol, a holiday tradition, returns for its 31st season with William Brown directing and Larry Yando as Scrooge.

Smith’s humorous play is about a young man endeavoring to discover his position in life. The production is set in a graveyard and follows a father and son grave-digging team whose names are Dig and Digger. Dig (the elder) loves his job and expects his son to follow in his muddy footsteps. However, Digger envisions himself as an aspiring artist. As the two work, they’re visited by mourners and ghosts, each with a different outlook on death and dying. Digger’s dad insists that grave-digging eases the transition from life to death, and that it is important, nuanced work–maybe even art.

Smith is Goodman Theatre’s resident director and an associate producer of Legacy Production, a Chicago-based touring company. He directed the Goodman’s productions of Jose Rivera’s Massacre (Sing to Your Children) for Theatro Vistro Vista, August Wilson’s Celebration and Crumbs from the Table of Joy.

Each year, theater enthusiasts return to witness Goodman’s productions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This year’s production, a Tom Creamer adaptation of the 1843 novella, will be directed by Brown. The famous actor, Yando, returns in the role of Scrooge after touring nationally with The Lion King. Other members of the cast include William J. Norris, Ann Joseph, Matt Schrader, Tim Gittings, Anish Jethmalani and Penelope Walker.

The productions continue at the downtown theater through December 31.