Hillbarn Theatre Rings In The Holiday Season With A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Hillbarn Theatre, the Peninsula's premier theatre company, brings the holiday spirit to its 2018-19 season with Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens's musical adaption of the timeless Charles Dickens tale A Christmas Carol. Hailed as "soaring, delightful musical theatre with a treasure house of beautiful, evocative music" (Talkin' Broadway), A Christmas Carol tells the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge through a lavish and thrilling score. A Christmas Carol will perform at Hillbarn Theatre (1285 East Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City) November 29-December 16, 2018. The performance schedule is as follows: Thursdays-Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Press night for A Christmas Carol will be Friday, November 30, 2018. Single tickets range in price from $25-$52 and are available now by calling 650-349-6411 ext. 2 or visiting www.hillbarntheatre.org.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated "Bah! Humbug!" Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he's forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his Past, Present and Future. Thanks to their guidance, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful "Happy Christmas" before spending the day reconnecting and sharing love with those that mean the most to him.

"We are thrilled to bring this beloved show to Hillbarn's stage this season," says Executive Artistic Director Dan Demers. "I can think of no better way to celebrate the holidays than with this musical adaptation of Dickens' timeless classic, which will be sure to bring holiday cheer to our audiences!"

Under the direction of Demers, Hillbarn Theatre's A Christmas Carol features a multigenerational cast of performers led by Chris Reber* as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. Joining Reber is Hillbarn Theatre's Conservatory Director Randy O'Hara as the Ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's nightmarish late-night visitor; Jim Ambler* as Bob Cratchit and Christina Bolognini as his wife, Anne Cratchit; Ben Ball and Jen Martinelli as the ever-festive Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig; Martinelli also doubles as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and is joined by Sammi Hildebrant as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Christine Baker as the Ghost of Christmas Future.

The ensemble also includes (in alphabetical order): Jorge Diaz, Cheril Ellingson, Michael Grasso, Hallie Gremlitz, Alan Hafter, Noah Itzkovitz, Gabbie Jison, Daniel Kalafat, Jaron Liclican, Andrew Marheineke, Brian Lindawson, Zev Rodnitzky, Brenna Sammon, Reid Satterwhite, Zaina Sharaiha, and Kaitlin Zablotsky.

*Member of Actors' Equity Association

The creative team for A Christmas Carol includes Aya Matsutomo (Master Electrician), Eric Olson (Scenic Manager), Adria Olson (Prop Designer), and Sharron Peng (Costumes). Additional members of the creative team will be announced at a later date.

Up next, Hillbarn Theatre presents Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's bloody-fun musical thriller, Sweeney Todd (January 24 - February 10, 2019); a comic play where love and fortune intertwine, Leading Ladies (March 7 - 24, 2019); and closes the season with crowd-favorite musical Mamma Mia!, the hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father on a Greek island paradise (May 9 - 26, 2019).