George Bernard Shaw and chocolate stores. Let’s try again: George Bernard Shaw and bags laden with souvenirs. We understand your bewilderment. The fuzzy and the mushy don’t sit well with the Irish author and playwright’s acerbic wit. But in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a town in Ontario, Canada, he is the patron saint of most things fun and entertaining. He (his statue, that is) looks upon the town from a fountain, keeping an eye on every purchase of fudge and ice wine and counting every horse-drawn carriage that goes past.

It may be hard to believe that Shaw had nothing to do with Niagara-on-the-Lake in his lifetime. It is not even present in any of his works. Yet the town, for close to six decades, has been hosting a theatre festival named after Shaw. What started as a bid to promote the works of the playwright blossomed into an annual affair that is counted among the world’s largest theatre displays. Along the way, rules were relaxed to allow plays written by others and they were staged from April to Christmas every year. This helped A Christmas Carol , a stage adaptation of a Charles Dickens novella from 1843, become a Christmas favourite at The Shaw Festival.

Interestingly, the Victorian novelist is said to have visited the Niagara Falls, less than 30 minutes by road from the town, a year before he wrote the book. But the thunderous falls finds no mention in the story. It is all about the Christian values of charity and redemption. One can say that A Christmas Carol still strikes a chord with 21st-century audiences, going by the numbers that attend the shows. This year’s run ends just two days before Christmas, while bookings for the 2019 shows are open already.

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a man who embodies every quality of a miser, glides between the past, present and future. Directed by actor Molly Atkinson (originally by Tim Carroll), this version of A Christmas Carol encourages the audience to join the cast in singing songs of the season. In the backdrop is a huge Advent calendar, with the cast using its detachable wooden flaps as doors and windows. Fluffs of white confetti are tossed in the air to depict snowfall while a woman holding a wooden plank becomes a table for Scrooge to keep his ledgers on. An army of puppets replaces humans when conjuring up creatures from the lead character’s past and future.

Apart from attending to the whims of a miserly employer, Scrooge’s assistant — Bob Cratchit — is the cast’s vital link with those watching the performance. At intermission, he collects feedback from the audience on what they have liked or disliked so far. And the show ends with Scrooge loosening his purse strings to share his wealth and Christmas with family and friends.

The humanist in Dickens may not have approved of the glitter and prettiness that characterise Christmas in Niagara-on-the-Lake. His Christmas stories, after all, are reflections of the values that England lost to industrialisation and consumerism. A tourist, however, will love the way Queens Street decks up for the festival. The aroma of puddings and cookies from its cafes and bistros is as enticing as the baubles that hang from the Christmas trees at temporary roadside stalls. The light from Victorian-era street lamps adds a glow to the snowflakes on the trees that line the area.

For the safe player, there is hot buttered rum or mulled wine to beat the subzero temperatures. But this is the region famous for the Canadian ice wine, and it takes a certain knack to go for a drink that reminds you of icicles. Frozen grapes are pressed to extract this sweet dessert wine. And it is often paired with candies or crisps. This may puzzle the wine connoisseur but the adventurous will find enough to sample at wineries such as Inniskillin, Pellers and Konselmann.

Whether it’s ice wine or mulled, the fireworks on the Niagara — visible from the town — are sure to dazzle a dark winter sky. With a Christmas carol playing in your mind, this could be the best way to call it a night.

Stardust Gonsalves is a freelance writer based in Mumbai

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