HUMBUG! The Mercury Theater's A CHRISTMAS CAROL presented By The M Center

HUMBUG! The Mercury Theater's A Christmas Carol presented in Brooklyn.

Artistic Director, Mary Elizabeth Micari, invites us to return to those thrilling days of yesteryear with a live retelling of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater-on-the-Air Radio Broadcast of "Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol." The hour-long musical showing will be at Christ Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, December 23, in their main sanctuary at 7301 Ridge Blvd, Brooklyn, NY, with refreshments afterwards. The presentation is a benefit for the church. Reservations can be made at JMAE.events@gmail.com.

Mary Elizabeth Micari, and her arts school, the M Center for the Performing Arts, presents this rendition of this double classic. M Center is now the resident voice and acting academy of the house of worship. "Presenting a radio play allows us to educate our audience to so many levels of the arts in a unique ... and entertaining ... way" says Micari, an arts veteran of 40 years with a resume that includes cabaret, opera, and musical theater performances, plus director/designer work Off-Broadway and Design/Production Staff work on Broadway.

Genesis Repertory, a nonprofit arts & education organization, sponsors the M Center and its educational programming. For more than 20 years, Genesis has served the Manhattan and Brooklyn communities as a leader in performing arts training as well as being a celebrated stage & film company.

A Christmas Carol, set where it was originally done, at the CBS Radio Network, one year shy of 80 years ago, features Ms. Micari's masters students reading from the original radio play and singing nearly a dozen favorite holiday tunes. Dressed as radio performers of the time, the company gives us Christmas, 1938.

This is not the first radio play presented by Genesis Rep/M Center. The company presented a wildly acclaimed version of Orson Welles panic broadcast, "War of the Worlds," off-Broadway in 2002, featuring a guest appearance by Ruth Warrick (the first Mrs. Kane in the classic film, "Citizen Kane"). Followed by a previous retelling of "A Christmas Carol" at Brooklyn's Block Institute in 2010 with celebrated local character actor, Cliff Hesse, in the role of Lionel Barrymore (playing Scrooge).

For this production, stage and film actor - and renowned public relations executive - Jay Michaels, resurrects a favorite role of his - that of Orson Welles himself - having played the cinematic impresario in "War of the Worlds" and the previous version of "A Christmas Carol."

This production serves as a benefit for Christ Church with a portion of proceeds going to the Church itself. The company's next production, called ONE, will feature a group of musicalized one-person acts.

Mary Elizabeth Micari, founded M Center in 2012 as well as its parent organization, Genesis Repertory, in 1999. Under her leadership, the company produced classical works as well as original plays and musicals as the resident company of the historic Jan Hus Playhouse on East 74th Street in Manhattan; the sprawling Mazer Theater in downtown NYC; Brooklyn's Block Institute; and the legendary 13th Street Repertory Theatre in Manhattan. Now, here, at Christ Church in Bay Ridge. Ms. Micari is a Brooklyn resident. "The church has been wonderful and welcoming, says Ms. Micari, and we look forward to a long prosperous and profitable relationship."

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