Interview: John Kevin Jones Is Bringing Dickens to Merchant's House Museum with A CHRISTMAS CAROL

In December 1867, Charles Dickens arrived in New York City for a month of sold-out performances of his beloved holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. Join Mr. Dickens, portrayed by actor John Kevin Jones, as he tells his timeless Christmas tale in the elegant intact Greek Revival parlor of the landmark 1832 Merchant's House Museum (29 East 4th Street, Manhattan).

Surrounded by 19th century holiday decorations, flickering candles, and richly appointed period furnishings, audiences will be transported back 150 years in this captivating one-hour performance created from Dickens' own script.

Performances run December 10 through December 24. John Kevin Jones brings this production of A Christmas Carol back to The Merchant House for the third year in a row.

Broadwayworld spoke with co-creator and star John Kevin Jones about how this production of A Christmas Carol takes out the "fluff" and gets to the heart of the story.

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How did you get involved with this production?

It's interesting; I developed it myself with my director Rhonda Dodd. She and I wrote the script together; we pared down Charles Dickins' own edited acting script from A Christmas Carol. We were putting it into a one-man show because, like so many actors, I was at a point where I didn't have a lot of work going on and felt like I needed to jumpstart my own opportunities. I thought one-man Christmas Carol might be a good thing and something people actually wanted to see.

In 2011, I started developing a one-man show. I did it at my friend's houses, at my parent's home; I did it for my uncle who was so impressed by it, and he's impressed by so little, so I thought maybe I do have something here.

In 2012, we did it at The Studio Theatre Off-Broadway. When we were doing it that year I thought, "Gosh if we could perform it at the Merchant's House that'd be spectacular. So I called Margaret Halsey Gardiner, who's the executive director over there, and I asked her if I could come in and show her the show. She said sure, and in 2013, I went there and did the whole show. Afterwards, I said to her and the board president, "Look, I know you may need some time. Think about it and we'd really like to be a part of your winter programming. Just let me know." She looked at the board president and the board president looked at her and she said, "No, we want you."

From then, we've just been doing it every year. The success of it is has grown so much; it's a little humbling. [Rhonda] and I are both so thrilled that it has come this far and has life left in it.

Merchant's House is such an interesting place. What's it like performing there?

It's amazing. One of my favorite things is that there's a bathroom upstairs that's really for staff and administration, and I get to use it as sort-of my dressing room. But also, coming down the stairs before you perform where it is sort of dark and the lights aren't on like they are when the house is open to the public allows you to feel like you're there. You feel like it's 18 whatever, and you're walking down those stairs, and it's magical. A friend of mine said there was a psychic in the audience last night and said he saw a ghost standing next to me while I was performing, and she was looking out the window. I'm not sure if I believe that because if she was standing next to me why wouldn't she be listening to the story? I have not seen any ghosts there myself. Beyond the spooky bit, it is really amazing being in this nineteenth-century place. You couldn't build a set like this. It's so exciting. Of course, in that time this is how they would hear a story. They would hear it in a living room.

How does your version of the show differ from the A Christmas Carol everyone knows?

We try to stay true to Dickins' voice. We use his acting script and his words solely. We try to highlight two different things; one thing is Scrooge could be anyone of us. It's a combination of life events and perspective; it's soured by greed. I think that kind of leads into the other thing that we try to highlight which is the 99% movement. He was really at the forefront of that in a way. He was inspired to write this after giving a speech to a union hall, I believe, about child labor laws. The facts he hears while he was there were so moving to him that he just felt like he had to write something about it; he wrote A Christmas Carol very quickly and was very moved by his own writing. We try to hit that. I think a lot of times the other versions are a little fluffy. They seem to say at the end that this one man turned his life around after he got scared to death by three ghosts, and there's really a little bit more to it. He actually sees the errors of his ways and realizes that his life has been less than because he has been focused on things. If we can't talk about what needs to be focused on personally at Christmas, when can we? We try to stay away from too much fluff. Which is not to say it's not funny because Scrooge is pretty funny. He has some really odd takes on life, which can be a little head tilting.

You're performing in such an intimate setting. Do you feel like that closeness with the audience affects your performance? Have you had any memorable audience experiences?

Absolutely. It really does because you get direct connection with the audience. I think that's one of the things that makes this performance so powerful is that you're really in the room with them. I'm not high up on stage away from you. The audience, because of the proximity, gets drawn into the story and really becomes a passive participant. I don't ever land on anybody too long or require any response; I want them to be comfortable. I greet people when they come in, and I'll greet some older guys in particular who are prepared to see a show with their wives or families but don't seem so moved by the whole experience. However, while you're performing you look out, and they are the ones who are wiping tears from their eyes watching Tiny Tim. I'm telling the story that you don't know the heart of Scrooge; you don't know the goodness that's in his heart. You look into the audience and see the same thing where you don't know the goodness in these people when they walk in, and then you see it play out right in front of you. When people leave, I always say goodbye to them and shake their hand, and they're still sometimes so moved that all they can say is "thank you," or whatever. It is memorable when you see the affect you have on an audience that is so immediate and so clear in front of you. It's so gratifying as an artist that you know that you served the words and served them well.

Do you have a favorite moment when you're performing the show?

Oh, yeah. I think my favorite thing to do is the Cratchit's in the first sequence because they're having such a good time. They're having such a beautiful Christmas, and it reminds me of the Christmas' I had so many years ago with my family. As we get older, families get smaller, but I had such great Christmas' as a child, and it reminds me that my grandparents and my parents were really terrific. They did what the Cratchit's did and made the best out of any situation we might have been in. They really enjoyed just us being together. It takes me back.

Looking forward, do you think the show will be back in the next coming year?

I certainly hope so. In the past, Merchant's House does three years of the same programming, but this has been such a successful thing that people love. We have so much return business that it is really becoming a holiday tradition. I couldn't be happier to see that happening.

Kevin is a member of Actors Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild of America. New York: Nothing But Trash, Theater for the New City; Jeffrey (starring Bryan Batt), Lincoln Center; The Winter's Tale and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Hipgnosis Theatre. Regional: The Pavilion (American Stage), Othello (Arkansas Rep), The Rivals, All My Sons (Kentucky Rep), Angels in America, Gross Indecency (Playhouse on the Square). BA in Theatre Performance from the University of South Florida and MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of Memphis.

Tickets are available at dickensinnewyork.brownpapertickets.com or by calling (800) 838-3006. Regular 60-minute performances: $40 - $60. Seating is strictly limited to 40. Pre-show mulled wine, light fare, and good cheer with star John Kevin Jones $25.