A VHS Christmas Carol
| Fanwork | |
|---|---|
| Title: | A VHS Christmas Carol |
| Creator: | Starkid Productions |
| Date(s): | 2020-2023 |
| Medium: | Sung-through musical |
| Fandom: | A Christmas Carol |
| External Links: | Live 2021 version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
A VHS Christmas Carol (VHSCC) is a sung-through musical by Starkid Productions, written by Clark Baxtresser. It was first written and performed digitally in 2020, and has had a new iteration each year. The original was an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in the style of 80s music, and the 2023 version was renamed ‘VHS Christmas Carols” and added the stories of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry and The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. While it is still comedic, it isn’t a parody of A Christmas Carol in the way other Starkid shows are parodies, but instead a retelling and adaptation. The only parody elements are of 80s musical videos.
Different Versions
2020
The original was released in December 2020. It was supposed to be performed live digitally, however due to technical issues, it only aired for 3 of the 4 scheduled shows and as a pre-recorded show, not live. It was then released as a digital ticket until January 1st 2021, and that version of the show is no longer available.
2021
The show was staged live in LA from the 9th to 11th of December 2021. There was an interactive first half of the show, hosted by Fezziwig, played by A.J. Holmes. It was then released as digital tickets from the 17th to 19th of December, where Fezziwig hosted an interactive pre show for each viewing. The musical part of the show was released on YouTube on the 25th of November, 2022. This version had largely similar casting to the original version, but the music was changed slightly.
2022
This did not appear as a fully staged this year, instead as a concert version on tour. The music from A VHS Christmas Carol was the second half of the Jangle Ball Tour, while the first half were songs from the Starkid canon that could be described as villain songs, although the show itself makes fun of not all the songs being strictly villain songs. This was released as a digital ticket that year, then as a digital download in December 2023.
2023
This year was staged live in Chicago, and called “VHS Christmas Carols” (VHSCCs) to reflect two more stories being added to the show, making it the length of a full musical. The first half adapts The Gift of the Magi and The Little Match Girl, also in the style of 80s music. This show played live from the 17th to 19th of November, and was released as a digital ticket on the 24th of November until the end of December 2023.[1]
Fan engagement
This show has inspired fanworks of its own. Many pieces of fanart are posted to Instagram and Tumblr, often shared by the cast. Fans also write headcanons, meta, and a small amount of fanfiction. A recurring joke among fans and the cast is the cast doing this show until they’re old, particularly joking about Brian Holden playing Tiny Tim. The cast has also engaged in headcanons. In Meredith Stepien’s vlogs, Janaya Mahealani Jones, the actor who plays Della and Belle, said she believes Della is Belle’s daughter. She also discussed cast cast headcanons with Curt Mega on a twitch stream they did together a few weeks after the 2023 show.
- ^ StarKid, VHS Christmas Carols 2023, (Accessed 19 Jan 2024)