Dickens' A Christmas Carol at Hatbox Theatre

Dickens' A Christmas Carol Returns to the Hatbox Theatre"Dead, dead, dead" Those famous three words begin a story, a journey, that leads a man from darkness to light, from despair to joy. Not unlike what a lot of us have experienced in the past year.In what has become a family tradition, the Hatbox Theatre presents this original adaptation from Jill Pinard. It has everything you might expect from Charles Dickens classic tale, but with an intriguing twist. Taking Scrooges statement, You may be an undigested bit of beefa line in the original storyat face value, the show is crafted from the perspective that this may, indeed, just all be a bad dream that ultimately leads to redemption. A mix of projections, costumes, environmental sound, live performers and recordings draw audiences into Scrooges journey through the past, present, and future of his mind. Audience members, too, will wonder if they are dreaming when they are immersed in sound, lights, and effects that bring out some of the eerier aspects of Scrooges fateful night.The ensemble cast is led by veteran actor Douglas Schwarz, who has been a staple of Concord area theater for decades. Playing Scrooge is a lifelong dream for Doug, who has loved Dickens and "A Christmas Carol" since childhood. He is joined on stage by actors from all over the region. Some have returned from previous productions, such as Erik Shaffer as Bob Cratchit and John Jenks Seymour as Marley. Others are new to the production but well known to area audiences such as Katie Dunn-Law as Christmas Past and Mike Wood as Christmas Present. The rest of the cast is made up of experienced and new-to-the stage actors, Christie Conticchio, Brian Dembkoski, Sara Brez, Ash Hurley, Rhonda Houston and Gabi Armhold. Live violin music will be performed by Wendy Jensen. The simple, striking set was designed by Hannah Joy Hopkins and the show is directed by Hatbox Theatre regular, Kevin Barrett.The Hatbox Theatre presents Dickens A Christmas Carol for two weekends from Friday, December 3 through Sunday, December 12. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Tickets can be purchased online at http://hatboxnh.com and can be reserved by calling 603-715-2315.
Ages: All ages welcome