I was asked at the intermission of opening night of A Christmas Carol at Silver Spring Stage, by a fellow who was either meant to be a Dickensian business fellow of sorts, or was perhaps trying to be Mr. Dickens himself (unclear as to which), what my favorite Charles Dickens story was. I’m certain he was expecting me to say Oliver Twist or Great Expectations maybe even a cheeky response of A Christmas Carol.
It’s that time of year when the stage seems to play— every show you see— Christmas Carol – may three ghosts be haunting you… and this review of mine, in the nick of time, wishes you and yours— to experience one too. Why not experience the Maryland Ensemble Theatre production of the Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol presently running through this weekend at the Weinberg Center for the Arts cattycorner to the MET’s home stage in downtown Frederick?
“Bills don’t care about the holidays, Virginia.” Not quite the same ring as that line about truly there is a Santa Claus. But then again, this isn’t exactly your grandfolks’ Christmas Carol either. A glorious blending of the macabre meets the holidays, which is sort of what Dickens intended when he wrote A Christmas Carol so many Christmas pasts’ ago, or at least that’s how it turned out— what with the ghosts and all.
In the 10,000 or so productions of A Christmas Carol that I’ve seen over my ~15 years a reviewer, I have never seen one (and I’ve even seen the Richard Wade-Richard Gessner adaptation at Colonial Players a time or two before…) that had such a strikingly profound moment— a momentary minutia that hit with such heartfelt intent that I both gasped and wept in utter shock. But let’s back it up in true Dickensian style.
Tis the season of hospitality, merriment, and openheartedness! Come in and know them better, man! Tis the season— their 11th, in fact— for putting that timeless holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, upon their stage. Tis the season for uplifting spirits, for heartwarming festivities, and for radical, positive change. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s A Christmas Carol is truly a cherished stage tradition, nestled right in the heart of Charm City and is bringing jubilation amid the bleakness that 2025 has turned out to be;
Bah! Humbug! The Christmas season is upon us. Again. Already. (Baltimore’s local 101.9 even had flipped the switch to their Christmas music on Thursday 11/20/25 as I was driving home to ring up Greg Burgess and interview him!) The holidays are upon us whether you’re ready or not. And in a world of so much darkness and chaos, aren’t the holidays meant to be what spreads a little love, a little light, a little joy?
The originator. The fabricator. The one and only…Charles Dickens. While he’s no Gonzo, (because everybody loves a furry, blue Charles Dickens this time of year) Jimi Kinstle certainly makes quite the impression as the legendary author, out pitching his wares— and by wares we mean his stories, and by story we mean the popular story associated with Dickens at Christmas time…
“Marley was dead to begin with.” The second most-recognized line in the Dickensian classic,
When a cold wind blows— it chills you! Chills you to the bone! But there’s nothing in nature that freezes your heart like years of being alone! It paints you with indifference like a lady paints with rouge. And the worst of the worst! The most hated and cursed— is the one that we call SCROOGE! Unkind as any— with the wrath of many— this is EBENEZER SCROOGE! (And yes, I did that from memory.
You shall be visited by three ghosts, Ebenezer! When the clock strikes one— The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jude Mahoney.) When the clock strikes two— The Ghost of Christmas Present (B. Thomas Rinaldi.) When they clock strikes three— The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be! (Ashley Merrill.) And we may be crazy trying to visit with all three of these ghosts all at once, but what’s Christmas without a little crazy?
We’ve got you gathered here and the clock hasn’t even struck one,
What a chilly evening! Havre de Grace is all aglow! Don’t it feel like it might snow? Such a merry season! Don’tcha love it so? Merry Christmas, dearie— time to go! To Tidewater Players’ production of A Christmas Carol. Yes, it’s mid-November, and yes Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but gosh darn it in the infamous words of Auntie Mame (yes, yes, different show, I know) “…we need a little Christmas!
It’s in the singing of a street corner choir! It’s going home and getting warm by the fire! It’s true, wherever you find love— it feels like Christmas! And it is— the season of the spirit— the message if we hear it— is make it last all year! And since Tidewater Players is getting you into the season of the spirit a good six weeks ahead of time, we figured we could pick some of the featured players’ brains all about their upcoming production of A Christmas Carol.
The grass is green and dense! On the right side of the fence! And it’s a fine life! A fine life— to be doing Oliver! at Tidewater Players this spring. You’re always going to get the raw and nitty gritty of a dark show when it comes to one directed by Bambi Johnson and that’s what we’re here for! Sitting down with Ryan Geiger and Emily Jewett, playing Bill Sikes and Nancy, respectively,
Of all the blithe sounds you’ll hear this holiday season, tis none merrier than that of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, performed in near-entirety by Phil Gallagher as a one-man endeavor at Spotlighters Theatre. For its third year running, this solo-performer adaptation of the iconic Christmas classic holds its own against the 400 other productions of the Dickensian money-maker this time of year. Adapted for the stage by Sherrionne Brown and Phil Gallagher,
“God bless us, every one”
Tis the season for holly, mulled wine, and curing any case of “Bah humbug.” Returning for the second year in a row (and deservedly so!), this one-man show, adapted and edited by Sherrionne Brown and Phil Gallagher returns to Baltimore’s own Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre through December 18th to reprise this wonderful rendition of Charles Dickens’ beloved classic: A Christmas Carol.
It is difficult to find anyone in the English-speaking regions of the world who are not,
“It is required of every man… that the spirt within him should walk abroad among his fellow men, and travel far and wide; and, if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.” ~Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.
It’s…that…time of year…when the world seems to do… all the Christmas things… on screen, on stage… every play you see…is A Christmas Carol… well,
There have been songs, dances, parodies, and even Muppets. But in all my travels— these 35 and a half years upon this earth— making merry and keeping the spirit and tradition of Christmas alive in my heart not only during the season but all the year, I have never heard of a visit to a lighthouse during the travels of The Ghost of Christmas Present with Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
“God bless us, every one!”
One of the most difficult things to do, especially around the holidays, is sally forth and soldier on when you’ve lost one of the great showmen in your company. Pasadena Theatre Company, taking to heart the time-honored tradition of ‘the show must go on’ is doing exactly that this holiday season and I can think of no better way to commemorate the radiant and outstanding memory of the late Chuck Dick than be bringing his adaptation for the stage of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to life this year.
“It’s true wherever you find love— it feels like Christmas!” My favorite quote from my favorite adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol— A Muppet Christmas Carol— and while we may not be gathering at big Christmas parties this year, or packing into the theatre to see the latest area rendering of the Dickensian holiday classic, the statement stands— wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas. Henry Cyr and J Purnell Hargrove,
Christmas before Thanksgiving?
Humbug! Don’t let me see one light, hear a carol, or find Santa in a mall until
I’ve had my turkey. Unless of course you are talking about seeing Scrooge, directed by William Price, at
Scottfield Theatre Company.
@machpe Scrooge at Scottfield Theatre Company. Photo: @machpe
With this aversion for early
Christmas you can imagine my thoughts while driving forty minutes north to
Havre de Grace.
Scrooge the Musical at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore hardly needs an introduction to tell you what it’s all about! It’s the timeless classic Christmas story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which has seen probably more interpretations and remakes than any other Christmas story in history, set to a wonderful score. While you have probably seen countless interpretations (or even other stage productions) of A Christmas Carol over the years,
Of all the days in all the year that I’m familiar with— there’s several very important ones leading up to— December the 25th! Correct! And those important days are any days between now and December 17, 2017 wherein The Children’s Playhouse of Maryland has a performance of their holiday musical, Scrooge. Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans and Choreography by Amanda Poxon, this classic and musical spin on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will put you in the holiday spirit for certain with all of its spry and spirited youngsters skipping and spinning about!
Bah! Humbug! It’s that time of year when every theatre company goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on their lips and a production of A Christmas Carol on their stage! Even The Memorial Players of Bolton Hill have fallen into step with the holiday tradition and are mounting the Dickensian classic this season, but don’t be fooled! They aren’t presenting any old Christmas Carol, they’re adding deep thoughts, spooky edges, and a true reformation that really makes strong parallels to the world we live in today ring true,
It is the time of year for joy, love, and holiday traditions. One tradition that many people hold dear is a yearly outing to see A Christmas Carol, they pick from numerous theatres all playing the famous production and get their yearly fix of the British miser who changes his ways. It has been a long time since a new adaptation of the famous tale has come around, however at a small theatre in Annapolis that is exactly what has happened.
Tis the season to be— producing A Christmas Carol, most certainly. Thanksgiving weekend is fair game for theatres to start turning out their productions of Dickens’ most time-honored, cherished, and stageable tale. Running through December 10, 2017 as a co-production with Arts on the Green, The Kensington Arts Theatre’s 2nd Stage is putting up their very own A Christmas Carol, featuring young actors and adult actors alike! Adapted for the stage by Laura Victor and Directed by Jordan Clifford,
There’s going to be some haunting as they terrify a miser, but hopefully by the end, everyone will leave just a wee bit wiser! If not wiser, most definitely lighter of heart and happier of spirit as The Second City presents Twist Your Dickens in the Theater Lab of The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. With stick-to-your-ribs, feel-good comedy, this brilliant bastardization of Dickens’ iconic Christmas Carol and a Saturday Night Live style sketch comedy show is high-octane hilarity achieving its holiday heights just in time for Christmas.
Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! Christmas bells are ringing! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the happiest of holiday seasons, Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia is proud to present their stellar production of the musical version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Directed by David James with Musical Direction by Pamela Wilt, this iconic classic brings the true meaning of Christmas to kids from ages one to 92 and beyond and everywhere in-between.
Landless Theatre Company is off to the races! Off to the races! I said, they’re OFF TO THE RACES with their workshop production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Symphonic Metal Version. Directed by Melissa Baughman, with Musical Direction by Andrew Lloyd Baughman and Zachary Pinkham, this symphonic metal version of Rupert Holmes’ musical (based on the unfinished play by Charles Dickens) features new arrangements and orchestrations by The Fleet Street Collective of Landless Theatre Company.
Tell me everything you think you know about Santa Claus. Of course, the only truth that resonates 100% inside the legend, the myth, and the mighty man that is Kris Kringle, is that Santa Claus is giving directly from the heart without expecting anything in return. So what if he also happens to be a homosexual? That’s the first half of The Holiday Special now appearing live on stage at The Baltimore Theatre Project.
God bless us, every one! At this time of year where need is most keenly felt, Wolf Pack Theatre Company is reminding us all that it is the season to be spreading kindness and good cheer. Their annual production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as adapted by the company’s Founder and Artistic Director William Dean Leary, is cause for true celebration as it shines a radiant light on the true meaning of Christmas.
There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor. Mr. Dickens spoke it best when he put this sentiment into the ether at the holidays in his classic novella A Christmas Carol. And although everyone has their own version, their own retelling, are we not all but fellow passengers this time of year on our way to finding the laughter and good humor of the holiday season?