As presented in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” — or at least in the seemingly infinite adaptations through which most of us have absorbed its essence — Christmas isn’t so much a religious observance as it is a mood. The baby Jesus might be present somewhere in the margins, but the holiday that so irritates the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is a celebration of generosity, community, and togetherness.
That last element perhaps felt most out of reach in the winter of 2020, when the multimedia troupe Manual Cinema developed its own adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” for the streaming screen. With gatherings still largely discouraged nine months into the COVID pandemic, Manual Cinema’s “Carol” took the form of — what else? — a Zoom call.
