'Tis the Season for Egg Nog, Good Cheer and Klingons?

By Michele Lenni in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 2, 2010 4:40PM

As the snow gently fell to earth this morning, we here at Chicagoist couldn't help but feel the holiday spirit slowly overtake us, despite the already tiresome barrage of commercials, harried last-minute shoppers and bell-ringers invading our space on the way to the our offices. For a moment we remembered what we love best about the season; gathering around the table with friends and enjoying the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol truly had the spirit of the season in mind when he spoke the famous line, "God bless us, everyone."

Then some of us Trekies on staff began to ponder, what would a Klingon do during this blessed time of year? Klingons, that emotionless race bumpy-headed warriors that inhabit the Star Trek universe, would most likely end a holiday dinner with a morose sentiment, like their famous proverb: "Act, and you shall have dinner; wait, and you shall be dinner."

Well, if you ever wanted to know more about Klingons and their slant on the whole holiday thing, producer and director Commedia Beauregard transformed the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge into perhaps the most interesting version of the time old tale yet: A Klingon Christmas Carol. This time around the story diverts from a morality tale into the story of the proud, fearless warrior and his fight to save Tiny Tim. A story we think would surely make any Klingon proud. Oh, and did we mention that entire production is spoken entirely in Klingon?

Beauregard says, "Klingons wouldn't care if Scrooge was not charitable or nice;" thus he had to do some creative plotting of the story to better fit the virtues of the Klingon race. "Instead of the spirits that visit our Scrooge are trying to help him become honorable and courageous, the two highest virtues in Klingon society." As we continually scratch our heads at the notion of a holiday tale in Klingon, Beauregard explains that they wanted to do something "people outside the theater would [and] could appreciate, but we also wanted to put together a show that fit with our mission of producing translated works."

Though the concept is rather, well... bizarre, but we think both Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike will enjoy this eccentric take on a classic holiday tale. Until then, as a wise Vulcan once said, "live long and prosper."

A Klingon Christmas Carol runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December 19 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., $32