I’m the first to admit that I’m a Grinch when it comes to the holidays. Holiday music and plays don’t reflect modern broken families or hard times; it’s all about Christmas cheer and good will. The trouble is, it’s usually just to family.
This Little Light, playing at the Belfry Theatre, shows a story a lot of people can relate to. It contains holiday stress, bustle, a lack of money, and a modernization that ignores the simpler things in life. And a little match girl—played by Jesse Deutscher—who is cold and hungry and has no shoes, but holds a match and sings about having light in her life.
While I sometimes found the sound a bit repetitive, the vocals were still beautifully harmonized. Bylaw Lance, played by Will Carr, is guaranteed to bring a laugh when he appears on stage to cite the laws and regulations and to start writing up tickets before whisking off on his scooter (which has a bell, might I add). As the story unfolded, I could feel my Grinchy heart soften.
During the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in material things and forget about the people who have nothing—This Little Light forces the audience to take a step back from that and to think about community. It also shows that those who have nothing are often the happiest, and the most willing to share what little they have with others.
I would recommend this play to any Grinch who is sick and tired of traditional Christmas carols and who wants to see something completely different this holiday season.
This Little Light
Until Friday, December 23
$22 and up, Belfry Theatre
belfry.bc.ca