‘A Christmas Carol’ warms hearts at Espressivo

“A Christmas Carol” began as a novella, but it has since transformed into movies, plays, musicals and animated specials. Jim Carrey has starred in “A Christmas Carol,” as have Kermit the Frog and Mickey Mouse. You’ve seen nearly every reimagining possible, so what is left to do with this tired holiday tale?

Well, you could tell it in Spanish – which is exactly what Teatro Espressivo is doing in Curridabat. The ever-inventive performance space presents its own version of the Charles Dickens classic, “Un Cuento de Navidad,” adapted by Paul Stebbings and Phill Smith. Under the direction of José Pablo Umaña, “A Christmas Carol’ should be the perfect way to usher in the holiday season.

(Meanwhile, the theater doubles as a coffee bar, so remember to pick up something warm and sweet. There may not be snow at the Momentum Pinares shopping complex, but you can still pretend over a steaming cup of mocha).

While the Spanish title translates as “A Christmas Story,” the play is not about leg-lamps or BB guns, but a greedy Victorian businessman who is visited by three temporal spirits on Christmas Eve, thereby rediscovering his own humanity.

With “Carol,” Teatro Espressivo finishes a very ambitious year. Some 2013 productions included stage adaptations of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Isabel Allende’s “The House of the Spirits,” as well as recurring comedy shows and cabarets, proving that Espressivo is among the most innovative outfits in town. 

“Un Cuento de Navidad” continues through Dec. 22 at Teatro Espressivo, Momentum Pinares complex, Curridabat. Fri., 8 p.m., Saturdays 7 p.m, Sun. 3 & 7 p.m. Tickets: ₡5,000-10,000 ($10-20). Info and reservations: teatroespressivo.com.