A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS CAROL Will Broadcast on Audio Stages on Christmas

It's become an annual holiday tradition, A Country Christmas Carol "On Air," The Musical, hosted by Hal Linden, narrated by Terrance Mann, on Audio Stages, WBAI 99.5 FM 8 pm, December 25, 2021.

Tony winner Hal Linden (The Rothschilds) hosts and three-time Tony nominee, Terrence Mann (CATS, Les Mis, Beauty and the Beast, The Addams Family) narrates, A Country Christmas Carol, On Air, presented by Tim Jerome (CATS, The Phantom of the Opera, Tarzan) and MainStreet Musicals as part of the Audio Stages series on WBAI Radio 99.5FM NYC, Saturday, December 25 at 8 pm EST.

The Oklahoma Gazette said the show "gives the Dickens' classic a wake-up and smell the coffee overhaul." (The Oklahoma Gazette).

The 2 Jaymies, James A. Rocco (CATS, The Wizard of Oz) and Jayme McDaniel (XCaliber, Broadway on Demand), conceived and directed the adaptation for Audio Stages.

"I love this show, and I am ecstatic that it is becoming a holiday tradition. It's an entirely new twist on Dickens' story, driven by a powerful woman. You see, Bob Cratchitt has become Bobbie Jo Cratchitt, a modern-day hero, filled with heart and grit," said Rocco.

A Country Christmas Carol "On Air," with Music and Lyrics by Albert Evans (Pageant, Nite Club Confidential) and Book and Lyrics by Ronald Kaehler (Under the Overture), takes place in Marley County USA, where folks don't have a whole lot, but everybody's doing what they can to make the Christmas holiday crackle, except for one mean and miserly old coot who misses the entire point; Banker Scrooge, the meanest man in town. His secretary, Bobbie Jo Cratchit, is a young widow who sings like Patsy Cline and lives in a trailer community with her two small children, Jane and Tim. But, unfortunately, Bobbie Jo has been "counting to 10" for far too long and is about to break. Ring a bell?

Along with Mann and Linden, you'll hear members from the Studio Cast Album: G. Wayne Hoffman, Heidi Karol Johnson Bart Shatto (Les Mis, The Civil War), Audrey Lavine (Carrie, Rags, MAC Award winner), Christy Carlson Romano, Jack Ingram, Linda Sue Moshier, Dennis Deal, Valerie DeWeese, Janet Dunn, Tim Ewing, Tari Kelly, Alix Korey, Kevin McMahon, Randy Schmeling, Kellie Turner, Jessica Tyler Wright, and Patti Wyss.

The "on Air" version of A Country Christmas Carol has been expanded for live presentations and is available for licensing in 2021. Think Prairie Home Companion meets Charles Dickens. For licensing information, visit: www.acountrychristmascarol.com

The Studio Cast Album and the new hit single Jingle-Ayo are available on Spotify and wherever you download music. David Armstrong of Broadway Nation gave it five stars and said: "I would love to see a staged production; in the meantime, I'll keep playing this great recording."

Don't miss Audio Stages' presentation of A Country Christmas Carol, on Air. Saturday, December 25, 2021, 8 pm EST on WBAI 99.5fm or on the internet at https://www.wbai.org/ click the "LISTEN LIVE" button.