The Chatham Community Players will kick off its 20th anniversary production of Philip Wm. McKinley’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on Friday, December 5. Bob Cline directs the show and Judy Stanton is the musical director.
In this version, produced exclusively at the Chatham Playhouse, Dickens serves not only as narrator, but also as a character that befriends Scrooge and walks beside him during his life-changing journey through memories and premonitions. While the script remains true to the original story, the playwright also pulled from letters that Dickens wrote to family and friends. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge has become one of the most beloved of all holiday tales, and this unique production also reminds us that Dickens’ inspiration for penning the story goes much deeper.
The cast includes: Joelle Bochner, Jack Broderick, Finnian Burns, Matt Burns, Chris Cantalupo, Daphne Ciccarelle, Tracy Espiritu, Mandy Feiler, Howard Fischer, Kylie Francis, Aedyn Grey, Bailey Grey, Abigail Hoops, Suzanne Houston, Jessica Kundla, Will Lampe, Barbi McGuire, Sean McManus, Andrew Michelson, Drew Olden, Adrienne Reuss, Alan Semok, Todd Shumpert, David Simon, Janet Swaim, and Brian Vetter.
A Popular Holiday Tradition
This marks the 14th time that the Chatham Players has produced this show: from 1988-1995, the group produced the show every December, and it now produces the show on a biennial basis. This unique production has become a popular family tradition for many in the area – entertaining more than 25,000 audience members since 1988.
After presenting the show essentially the same way since 1988, Chatham Players re-staged the show in 2005. After a three year hiatus, Chatham Players has once again re-imagined the production with a new look and feel. This year's production will focus on the joyous uplifting message that Dickens intended, with all the music that our audiences have found so enchanting over the years. The new production will have audience members leaving the theatre with the "true Christmas spirit," and remind each and every one of them to embrace the joy and happiness associated with the holiday season.
Box Office Information – Online Ticketing
Performance dates are December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 8:00PM and December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 & 21 at 3:00PM. All performances are at the Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, in Chatham. And as their holiday gift to you, Chatham has priced tickets at $20 for all ages! You can access the theater’s online ticketing service 24 hours a day. Tickets can be purchased online up until three hours prior to curtain on the day of a performance. The box office will begin accepting phone reservations on November 18 at (973) 635-7363. For information regarding box office hours, please call the box office number listed above.
The theater expects this show to sell out and encourages people to reserve tickets early.