Channing and Hutton Will Not Be Part of Chicago's Christmas Carol

By Andrew Gans
October 15, 2009

The limited engagement of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol that will play Chicago's Civic Opera House in December has lost two of its stars.

Producers of the holiday production announced that Timothy Hutton and Stockard Channing, who were scheduled to play, respectively, Bob Cratchit and the Ghost of Christmas Past and Mrs. Cratchit, will not be part of the cast. Replacement actors have yet to be named.

F. Murray Abraham, James Garner, Wayne Knight and George Wendt, however, will star.

The tale of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his visit from the three Ghosts of Christmas will play the Chicago venue Dec. 22-27.

This production of A Christmas Carol, according to press notes, "affords the audience an opportunity to see six beloved, much-admired actors on stage in a production faithful to the original 1843 novella. The dramatic arc of the story — tracing Scrooge from his happy childhood and adolescence to his embittered, miserly adulthood and the magical night that leads him to recognize the true meaning of Christmas —is one of the most satisfying in all literature. The splendor of Chicago’s Civic Opera House will be filled with a lavish production featuring beautiful, historically accurate scenery, props and costumes, eye-popping special effects and a supporting cast of twenty-eight."

F. Murray Abraham will portray Ebenezer Scrooge with James Garner as the narrator, Wayne Knight as the Ghost of Christmas Present and George Wendt as various characters.

The production is is produced, adapted and directed by Kevin Von Feldt. The design team includes Jeff Hill (sets); Nancy Erickson Dutmer (costumes and choreography); David Neville (lighting); and Maureen Osborne (props). Bryan Ryman is the design consultant, and Jaroslav Gebr is the scenic drop artist.

For tickets visit www.ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000.