Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Plays at Stages Across the U.S.
By Ernio Hernandez
23 Dec 2004
Children are busy tearing into presents left by Santa, but somewhere nearby the infamous miser mutters "Bah, Humbug!" as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol plays on stages across the country.
Translated to the stage in numerous adaptations, the story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge's incredible journey on the eve of Christmas, will haunt many playhouses nationwide again this year.
The musical version, created and directed by the late Mike Ockrent (Crazy For You) featuring songs by composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and lyricist Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime), was adapted for the NBC TV presentation which replays Dec. 24. Kelsey Grammer ("Frasier") stars with Jesse L. Martin (Rent), Jane Krakowski (Nine), Jason Alexander (The Producers) as well as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Geraldine Chaplin.
Richard Chamberlain (The Sound of Music, "The Thorn Birds") stars in the national tour of a musical version, called Scrooge by Leslie Bricusse (Victor/Victoria). The work plays at the Merriam Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through Jan. 2, 2005.
Actor Bill Raymond (Wonder of the World) once again stars in the Hartford Stage production of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas. Artistic director Michael Wilson (Enchanted April) adapted (and directs) the work in a spooky rendition. Other stages offer the holiday classic as a musical, a circus version or set in more modern times.
Such beloved characters as Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, the Fezziwigs and all three Ghosts of Christmas will fill several other major regional theatres as well. They include Atlanta's Alliance Theatre Company, Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Costa Mesa's South Coast Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Houston's Alley Theatre, Kentucky's Actors Theatre of Louisville, Long Beach's International City Theatre, Massachusetts' North Short Music Theatre, Minneapolis' Guthrie Theatre, New Jersey's McCarter Theatre, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Portland Stage Company, Providence's Trinity Repertory Theatre, San Diego Repertory, San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, Seattle's ACT Theatre, Washington D.C.'s Ford's Theatre and Wisconsin's Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
For dates and details on productions of A Christmas Carol across the country, visit Playbill On-Line's Regional listings section and enter "Christmas Carol" into the search engine.
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