This season, the Alley Theatre presents its dazzling version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, A Ghost Story of Christmas, adapted and directed by Michael Wilson, former Alley Theatre Associate Director and Artistic Director of Hartford Stage Company.
This year Alley Theatre Company Actors James Black and David Rainey each return this year to play Ebenezer Scrooge and Alley Company Actor Jeffrey Bean and Todd Waite alternate as Jacob Marley in this colorful, comical, and music-filled telling of Charles Dickens' "ghostly little book".
The Alley Theatre began producing an annual production of A Christmas Carol in 1988. Since its inception, the production has developed into a crowd-pleasing holiday favorite, delighting more than 30,000 individuals every holiday season. Dickens' classic tale is a heart-warming and bone-chilling story for audiences of all ages. Through encounters with ghosts – including his late business partner Jacob Marley – Scrooge learns what ill fate lies in store for him if he continues on his greedy and heartless course. An amazing story and an unforgettable theatrical experience, A Christmas Carol fills audiences with warm sentiments of the holiday season.
Re-staged by Alley Associate Director James Black, A Christmas Carol, A Ghost Story of Christmas begins previews Tuesday, November 20, opens Saturday, November 24 and runs through Saturday, December 29. The 2007 production of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas is presented by ConocoPhillips and Cameron with additional funding by lead sponsor Entergy Solutions District Cooling and supporting sponsors Apache Corporation, Lyondell Chemical Company and Continental Airlines, official airline of Alley Theatre.
Michael Wilson's adaptation is an imaginative re-telling of the classic story. In 1990, Wilson – in his first directing project for the Alley – adapted and directed a version of the story that became a national standout for its dancing apparitions and Wizard of Oz-like storyline.
Charles Dickens' novella, whose full title is A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas was published in 1843 to instant success, selling six thousand copies within its first week. Originally written as a quick money maker to enable Dickens to get out of debt, the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three spirits that visit him on Christmas Eve has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time. The first stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol dates back to January of 1844 in London and movie adaptations of this story were filmed as early as 1910.
Wilson's latest incarnation will retain the same script that he adapted in 1990 and will feature newly imagined scenic design by Tony Straiges (Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George, Alley's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Angels in America), costumes by Alejo Vietti (Alley's The Scene, Death on the Nile and Tryst), lighting by Rui Rita (Broadway's Enchanted April, Alley's To Kill a Mockingbird and Black Comedy) and original music by John Gromada (Broadway compositions include Proof, A Streetcar Named Desire and Alley's Treasure Island, Subject to Fits and Witness for the Prosecution).
The cast of more than 30 characters features Alley Theatre Company of Actors James Black and David Rainey as Ebenezer Scrooge, Jeffrey Bean and Todd Waite as Jacob Marley; James Belcher as Spirit of Christmas Present and Bert; Bettye Fitzpatrick as Spirit of Christmas Past and Mary Pidgeon; Elizabeth Bunch as Belle and Martha Cratchit; Paul Hope as Mr. Fezziwig; Chris Hutchison as Bob Cratchit; Charles Krohn as Old Joe and Undertaker; and John Tyson as First Solicitor. Other familiar Alley faces in the cast include; Justin Doran as Mr. Marvel; Brandon Hearnsberger as Fred and Young Scrooge; Melissa Pritchett as Rich Lady and Patricia; Patricia Duran as Mrs. Cratchit and Mrs. Fezziwig; among others. -- www.alleytheatre.org
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