Returning Joy to the Holiday Season
Published on December 19, 1843, A Christmas Carol is credited with transforming not only its stingy lead character Scrooge but returning joy to what had become a somber Christmas season. The book was an instant success with its themes of redemption and charity. Before writing the book, Dickens had toured England and America seeing the plight of the working poor. A Christmas Carol stirred people to increase their charitable giving. It also introduced "Merry Christmas" as a new greeting along with such unforgettable phrases as "Bah, Humbug" and "God bless us everyone." Silver Spring Stage will be adding a new twist this year by setting the play in World War II-era London when the British people experienced extreme hardship and A Christmas Carol's story of hope gave new meaning. In our current time, we can all use a little cheer.
Director Donna Shute says about A Christmas Carol:"The tremendous appeal of the show lies in its very universality. It is a tale which, while written in 1843, could have taken place in any culture, at any time. We all have failed in many of the same ways Scrooge has. Every audience is quick to condemn Scrooge and yet who among us has not wounded a significant other for an insignificant reason? Who has not at some point chosen financial gain over personal fulfillment or forsaken others in their time of need? It is because we are at times like Scrooge that this piece works; that it resonates within us to our very marrow. A Christmas Carol is a play for those of open minds and a willingness to change. It is a play for us all -- if we will only let it work its holiday magic upon us." The cast features David Dubov (Narrator/Marley), Steve LaRocque (Ebeneezer Scrooge), David Flinn (Bob Cratchit) and in multiple roles: Jared Earley, Becky Batt, Eric Small, Bob Kleinberg, Jonathan Dyer, Rebecca Korn, Ravyn Malatesta, Julia Ravenscroft, Lauren Tobaisen, Kathie Mack, Rachel Loose, James Chatham, John Hamilton, Kate Baldwin, Paula Shute, Harper Kaufman, Melissa Tucker, Kelsey Murray, Mary Frances Papalia, Jeffrey Sampson and Ian Murray. Don't miss this holiday treat for the whole family!
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