“Dickens’ A Christmas Carol” adapted by Jill Pinard returns to the Hatbox from Dec. 1 to 17.
For some, the spooky season is over, but at Hatbox Theatre, it’s just getting started. “A Christmas Carol” will haunt the Hatbox stage; for this incarnation, Jill Pinard of Three Witches Productions takes the helm once again directing the script she adapted for Hatbox in 2016.
In this original adaption of the holiday classic, Hatbox Theatre focuses on how the dream-like qualities of the ghost story aspect of Dickens’ work can bring about redemption. Is it “an undigested bit of beef” – a line in the original story – that leads Scrooge to have bad dreams or is he really being visited by ghosts intent on helping him redeem himself? Audience members, too, will wonder if they are dreaming when they are immersed in sound, lights and projections that bring out these eerier aspects of Scrooge’s fateful night. In creating this script Pinard set out to leave as much of Dickens’ original as undigested as possible.
Erik Hodges, who plays Scrooge for the fourth time at Hatbox, explained, “ ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Hatbox reminds me of one of those great old Christmas cards that you open to find a neatly folded winter scene that springs up in three dimensions, at once a surprise and familiar, a keepsake and reminder of things past, present and future. It’s perfect fare for this little pocket of a theater.”
The cast features other locale favorites including: Tina Annis as Mrs. Cratchit, Marjorie Boyer as Belle, Holly Keenan as Christmas Past, Audrey Malone as Peter Cratchit, Emily Peacock as ensemble and Belle understudy (Dec. 3 performance), Zachary Peacock as Fred, Erik Shaffer as Bob Cratchit, Brynnalee Blackmar Simmons as Christmas Present, Jim Speigel as Marley, and Harrison Fogg as Tiny Tim. A Christmas Carol is directed by Jill Pinard. The production includes costumes by Lynn Head; set, lighting and sound design by Andrew Pinard; and stage management by Doris George.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for adults; $22 for members, seniors, and students; and $19 for senior members. Tickets may be purchased online at hatboxnh.com.
Hatbox Theatre is a dynamic live performance arts space with a mission to service and foster a cooperative community to develop unique, intimate experiences for audiences and artists. Hatbox Theatre is located at the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord.
