A CHRISTMAS CAROL, OY! HANUKKAH, MERRY KWANZAA to be Presented at TNC

For the delight of audiences aged 5 to 105, Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., will present Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre (CAMT) in "A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa" from December 22 to January 2. The show is an adaptation of Dickens' classic with Old World accents and New World inclusiveness. Adapted, directed and reinvented by Vit Horejs, it features over 30 puppets by Milos Kasal including a quartet of Rockettes in Slovak, Moravian and Ruthenian folk costumes and holiday songs in Czech, English, Hebrew, Slovak, Spanish and Swahili.

The playing schedule is: evenings at 8:00 PM: Dec. 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 & Jan. 1; matinees at 3:00 PM: Dec. 26 & Jan 2 (eight performances). Running time is 75 minutes.

This toy-puppet theater extravaganza is a new take on Charles Dickens' classic with a few twists and digressions. Into the familiar story is woven a surprising and delightful blend of English, Jewish, African, American and Czech winter rituals and customs, all performed by over three dozen marionettes ranging in size from four to twenty-four inches as well as found objects and toys. Mr. Horejs operates the whole cast of puppets, backed up by a live chorus: an "a capella monumentale" choir of Katarina Vizina (a transplant from Slovakia) and Valois Mickens (West African/Celtic/Native American origin). The piece is still set in Old London, but with Czech accents. Imagine that the familiar tale was told to you not by an English serial novelist, but by your Czech grandmother.

The set uses a century-old toy marionette theater donated by Madeleine Albright. Vit Horejs uses a Bob Cratchit character from his mother's identical set that he played with in his childhood

There are ghost puppets by Vit Horejs and unknown folk carvers and a Camel marionette that has played an intruder in several CAMT shows. Set and costume design are by company member Michelle Beshaw, a two-time Innovative Theatre Awards winner.

The production made its TNC debut in 2019. It was offered virtually last year, with a series of "pretend" out-of-town performances at venues historic and exotic that were created with virtual backgrounds. Now playing again for live audiences, It will be updated to contemporary sensibilities and restaged for this new TNC production.

For more information visit: www.theaterforthenewcity.net

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