“The Klingon Christmas Carol” is a fairly new, but widely appreciated seasonal phenomenon.
This Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota-based annual Christmas substitution for Trekkers began in 2007 — as a joke! According to Commedia Beauregard Artistic Director Christopher O. Kidder:
“One of the board members, Clarence Wethern, thought he was making a throw-away comment about translating something into Klingon. Because our mission is to do translated works, we jumped on the idea. It’s not what we do normally, but it does a damn fine job of illustrating translated theater to a crowd that may not otherwise be coming to something by Moliere or Brecht.”
Just crazy enough that it might work?
“The show has sold out both years so far. The first year it was one-night-only, which was the plan last year as well. But, we sold out so early that we had to add a second performance. The press and attention that we got over those two years led to our being invited by Paramount to appear on the Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Blu-Ray disc performing sections of the ‘Klingon Hamlet.’ To this date, we are the only company in the world to have ever done a complete show in tlhIngan Hol, the Klingon Language.”
So, obviously this is totally awesome. This year, Commedia Beauregard is putting on twelve performances of “Klingon Christmas Carol.” Ready for the fun stuff? Here it is: For $100, you can adopt a Klingon (why not take up a collection among your Trekker buddies?).
What you get:
- A letter from your Klingon with a picture of his or her snarling face.
- An invitation to a special Meet-and-Greet reception to get to know your Klingon (if you dare!).
- An exclusive invitation to attend a rehearsal of “A Klingon Christmas Carol” and see the process in action.
- A ticket to Opening Night of “A Klingon Christmas Carol” and a photo with your Klingon (in costume — the Klingon, not you).
- Your name will appear on the Commedia Beauregard website and in the show’s program as the exclusive sponsor of your Klingon.
If you’ve already seen it, expect new stuff this year. There are six new cast members, plus:
“This year our fight choreographer is a martial arts instructor, so we’re getting pretty advanced in our Batleth wrangling.” — Christopher O. Kidder
It’s gonna be badass, y’all. Click here to adopt a Klingon and help make it happen!
Photo of Brian Watson-Jones courtesy of Commedia Beauregard.
