BWW Exclusive: Allan Knee & Robby Haltiwanger Talk THE ASTONISHING TIMES OF TIMOTHY CRATCHIT

The Workshop Theater's (312 W 36th Street) return engagement of The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit, by popular demand, is set to play through Sunday, December, 18, 2016. Featuring a book by Allan Knee (Little Women) with music and lyrics by Andre Catrini, The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit is a musical coming of age story that begins ten years after Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit tells the tale of a young man who sets out to find his place in an expanding and volatile world. Inspired by the characters of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the story follows the plight of the young hero from the home of his benefactor, Ebenezer Scrooge, to the theatrical madness of the great comic, Giuseppe Grimaldi.

Below, Knee and star Robby Haltiwanger chat about bringing the story to life!

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Allan Knee (Author)

Prequels have proven to be very successful on Broadway with shows such as Peter and the Starcatcher and the blockbuster musical, Wicked. Where did the idea for a sequel to A Christmas Carol come from? What drew you to these characters?

I have always loved Dickens. For me, he is the Shakespeare of novelists. He creates worlds. Many worlds. As for A Christmas Carol: I often felt the end of the story was in a sense the beginning of another story. Where does Scrooge go? How does he change? What happens to Tiny Tim? How does he grow up? A Christmas Carol was the beginning of a new life - for Ebenezer Scrooge and for Timothy Cratchit. I followed it. I read and read. And I wrote and wrote. And I imagined things. And suddenly a new world began to form. And I was in love with it.

While some might immediately think The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit is all about Christmas, the festive holiday serves only as a backdrop. The show has a really wonderfully universal theme and is an inspiring tale about finding yourself. What do you want audiences to walk away with after seeing the show?

The Christmas theme is strong - but this isn't a Christmas story. Christmas is the background. It's beautiful and pure. But this is a love story - a coming of age story - a story of a young man searching to find his place in the world that isn't always hospitable. Along the way I found new characters - characters I hoped Dickens might have liked. Sometimes I couldn't help give a new spin, a modern spin, to what I was writing. But this is the past. It begins with the Great Exhibition - when everything was changing.

Is this your first time collaborating with Andre Catrini? He has created a lush, sweeping score to enhance the story. What can you tell us about the process of working with your young collaborator?

I met Andre a year and a half ago. We meshed immediately. He began to musicalize scenes. He kept the story in tact - but with his melodic music he brought a new dimension to the story. It's hard to find a good collaborator - I think in Andre I found the perfect partner.

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Robby Haltiwanger (Timothy Cratchit)

Timothy Cratchit is perhaps one of the most known characters in literature. What's it like tackling such a known character?

It was intimidating at times, but to my knowledge no one has ever portrayed him as a young adult so most of the pressure is off. It was nice to have the freedom to discover what I think he would have grown up like while having such a rich and fleshed out character basis to draw from.

Do you have any special memories of A Christmas Carol growing up? Had you read the book and do you have a favorite film adaptation that gets you in the holiday spirit?

I was quite young when I first saw a production of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come scared me and my dad had to take me out of the theatre. It's been a while since then and I am happy to say I have seen it many times. To be completely honest A Muppet Christmas Carol is probably my favorite, who doesn't love Michael Caine?

While some of the characters in The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit will be familiar to audiences, the story is completely original. What do you think will surprise audiences who come to see the show and what do you hope they will take away from it?

I think seeing Tiny Tim all grown up and walking normally will generally be a bit of a shock to the audience in the beginning, but for the most part I believe the amount Timothy grows and matures through his experiences will surprise the audience. I think that the end of A Christmas Carol leaves everyone a bit hanging as to the ultimate fate of Tiny Tim, so I hope the audience leaves knowing that even though he has struggled he has found his place in the world.

Tickets are $25 general admission and $18 for students and seniors and are available online at www.workshoptheater.org or by calling 866.811.4111.

Photo Credit: Felicia D'Ascanio

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