Four stage productions of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" are opening this week, one of them a recent Broadway musical.
HALE CENTRE THEATRE is opening its 21st edition of "A Christmas Carol" with a few new touches this year.
Technical director Andrew Barrus will make use of the theater's new flying system — first installed for last year's North American premiere of "The Slipper and the Rose" — to have Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past appear to be flying over the London rooftops and, in another scene, Scrooge gliding over cemetery tombstones with the Ghost of Christmas Future. (Barrus' inspiration for the newly designed sequences came from watching a production of "Aladdin" at Disneyland's California Adventure park.)
Also, Dickens scholar Richard Wilkins — who portrays Ebenezer Scrooge in this production — has refined the script to combine the best from nearly 40 years of Hale family productions (both here and at the flagship Glendale Centre Theatre in Southern California). Wilkins, who is also directing, has blended into the dialogue some text from Dickens' "reading versions" of the book. (The production is co-directed by John Sweeney.)
David Weekes (who is understudy to Wilkins' Scrooge) and Brad Charon are double-cast as Bob Cratchit, with Tom Stam returning in the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present, Erik Denton as Jacob Marley and Caitlin E.J. Meyer and Ashley Petersen sharing the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Anne Puzey is musical director, supervising a live, 13-piece orchestra performing Barlow Bradford's original score. Marilyn May Montgomery is choreographer.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, from Saturday through Dec. 26. There will be no performances on Christmas eve or Christmas Day. There are also several matinees scheduled throughout the 36-performance run, at 12:30, 3 and 5:30 p.m. (on varying days).
Tickets range from $21-$25 for adults and $16-$19 for children (984-9000 or www.halecentretheatre.org).
CENTER STREET MUSICAL THEATRE, 177 W. Center, Provo, is staging the first Utah County version of "A Christmas Carol: The Broadway Musical," with a script by Lynn Ahrens ("Ragtime," "Lucky Stiff") and the late Mike Ockrent, and music by Alan Menken ("Little Shop of Horrors"), Thursday through Dec. 23.
The show is directed by Gavin Grooms, with a live orchestra conducted by Karl Pearson, and a cast that includes Bryce Chamberlain as Scrooge, Heather Daley as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Dale Lake as Christmas Present and Cindy Ross as Christmas Future, all part of a cast of more than 40 players from throughout Utah County.
First produced by Radio City Entertainment in Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theatre venue, the production has more recently been subtitled "the Broadway musical." (It was the basis for an NBC TV movie starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.)
Performances will be Thursdays-Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m., with additional performances on Dec. 20 and 21. Tickets are $9 for adults and $8 for students, senior citizens and children. An optional dinner buffet, served at 6:30 p.m., is an additional $10 per person. Advance reservations are required for dinner.
Saturday matinees are Dec. 10 and 17 at 2 p.m., priced at $7 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens and children (764-0535 or www.csmtc.com).
HALE CENTER THEATER OREM, 225 W. 400 North, Orem, is staging its 16th annual production of "A Christmas Carol," directed by Jerry Elison and choreographed by Marin Leggat. It opens Thursday and continues through Dec. 23.
The only single-cast roles in this production are Chris Brower as Scrooge and Ray Cuthbert as Christmas Future.
Those sharing other major roles include Regan Whimpey and Greg Hansen as Bob Cratchit, Mark Lanham and Rose Swenson as Tiny Tim, Braden Lanham and Cameron Olsen as Christmas Past, David Burton and Eric Manning as Christmas Present, and Mike Gray and Scott Healey as Marley.
Performances are nightly except Sundays at 8 p.m. (half an hour later than the theater's traditional 7:30 p.m. curtain), plus Saturday matinees at 3:30 p.m., one additional noon matinee on Dec. 17 and five weekday matinees at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 20-23.
Tickets range from $12.50-$16.50 (226-8600).
OLD BARN COMMUNITY THEATER, Collinston, will present "A Christmas Carol" from Thursday through Dec. 17.
Marc Jensen is directing a cast that includes Ralph Pitcher as Scrooge, David Spackman as Bob Cratchit, Daniel Francis as Tiny Tim, Sam Farnsworth as Christmas Present, Jackie Wardle as Christmas Past and Bardley Roring as Christmas Future.
Opening night will be the theater's traditional "barn-buster" Christmas gala and dinner, with dinner served at 6:15 p.m., followed by the performance at 7:30. Tickets for the gala are $25 per couple or $15 per person (advance reservations are required).
Regular performances, beginning Friday, are Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with two Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 17. Admission is $7 for adults and $6 for children and senior citizens (435-458-2276).
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com