PopCultHQ recently viewed a performance of E.D.G.E. of Orion Theater’s staging of “A Klingon Christmas Carol“. Be sure to check out E.D.G.E. of Orion Theater’s website and catch a performance of “A Klingon Christmas Carol” before it closes on December 16^th.

Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…

PopCultHQ’s Theatrical Review:

A Klingon Christmas Carol

A Klingon Christmas Carol is the classic Dickens tale of Christmas, redemption and hope. It is the first play of its kind performed in Klingon, a language taken from the Star Trek franchise. The tale is both familiar and different, as names, settings, social customs and the like, are all changed to fit within the paradigm of Klingon culture.

Staging/Sets

These sets, while seemingly simple, add a great deal of depth and volume once the play begins. Walls decorated with Klingon symbols and several of their weapons remain constant throughout the first and second acts. Several boxes of varying shape provide functionality for various scenes, as both tables, a bed and seats. The lighting for the play provides excellent mood, whether it is a fully lit stage to encapsulate the whole scene, or a dramatic moment of dimming lights that ends in a single spot, surrounded by total darkness.

This adds so much to this amazing story. Instead of Victorian London, audiences are whisked across the galaxy to the Klingon home-world, during the Feast of the Long Night, a time of celebration and feasting that ends with combat games to challenge the honor and glory of different Klingon houses.

Taking Charles Dickens story, and not only reconstructing the story to fit an entirely different fictional place and culture is an impressive undertaking. Even more impressive is the cast itself, a wonderful group of performers who spend the entire play speaking their lines in Klingon, a language that is both rough and guttural, not unlike German.

Cast

Never let it be said, that the cast doesn’t rise to the occasion when a new challenge presented itself for a play. Before sitting down to enjoy the show, this reviewer along with other members of the press had a chance to do a Q and A with the director, John Teske. John was very upfront about the difficulties that came with doing this show, particularly for the cast. At one point he stated “In directing, I had a group of experienced actors who were experiencing things they’d never touched before.”

Those new experiences included learning a script that would be spoken in a fictional language, getting to learn stage combat with Klingon weaponry, as well as mannerisms in addition to taking each role and making it their own. Part of this introduction to the Klingon culture included spending two weeks learning the dialogue with the help of an instructor from the Klingon Language Institute, in addition to fight training.

All together, the cast did a phenomenal job, every single one of them. Anybody who either loves ‘Star Trek’ or ‘A Christmas Carol’ will get so much out of this play, especially because audiences will see first hand how much effort and work these players put into not only learning the dialect, but in bringing the characters to life, even on a whole different world.

PopCultHQ’s Overall Assessment

As the Christmas season is well under way, many great Christmas traditions, particularly when it comes to media and culture, are in full swing. While this may be a different sort of Christmas play to take in during the holiday season, it is also immensely enjoyable and fun to watch. To all who are fans of theater, Star Trek or Charles Dickens, please make a point to see ‘A Klingon Christmas Carol this year’. It is a treat that one should not miss out on.

PopCultHQ’s Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

EDGE of Orion PRESENTS

A KLINGON CHRISTMAS CAROL

WRITTEN BY CHRISTOPHER KIDDER-MOSTROM & SASHA WARREN

At The Edge Theater, NOV 29-DEC 16

Performance Schedule:

11/29, 11/30, 12/1, 12/6, 12/7 , 12/8, 12/13, 12/14, 12/15, 12/16 – 8:00pm

12/2, 12/8, 12/9,12/15, 12/16 – 3:00pm

SEE BELOW FOR BONUS SHOW MIRTH!

A Klingon Christmas Carol is the first play to be performed entirely in Klingon, a constructed language first appearing in the television series Star Trek. The play is based on the Charles Dickens novella, A Christmas Carol. A Klingon Christmas Carol is the Charles Dickens classic tale of ghosts and redemption, adapted to reflect the Klingon values of courage and honor, and then translated into Klingon, performed with English supertitles.

Written by: Christopher Kidder-Mostrom & Sasha Warren

Translation by:
Laura Thurston
Bill Hedrick
Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Chris Lipscombe

CAST LIST: