Dozens of old-fashioned lanterns that dangle down on chains from the auditorium ceiling frequently throw a golden glow upon A Christmas Carol as its story unfolds at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Opening Thursday for a holiday visit, this enjoyable family event is a restaged version of an Old Vic dramatization of Charles Dickens’ 1843 tale that played Broadway during the 2019-2020 season. Campbell Scott starred as Ebenezer Scrooge. Andrea Martin and LaChanze played featured roles. Were you among the many who saw the show back then?
Should memory serve correctly, A Christmas Carol looks brighter and livelier at PAC NYC than when it was confined mostly within the proscenium frame of the Lyceum Theatre, where director Matthew Warchus’ original registered as unnecessarily chilly doings. Co-directed for PAC NYC by Thomas Caruso, who often works with Warchus, this production is staged upon a raised, cruciform-shaped central platform that situates the crisscrossing actors in relatively close proximity to many viewers while those scores of lanterns flicker overhead.
During a preshow session, half a dozen musicians garbed in Victorian greatcoats and stovepipe hats perform holiday airs at center stage while actors welcome spectators with clementine oranges and gingerbread cookies. Integral to the show’s charm is its live music, melding traditional songs from Dickens’ times in melting arrangements and orchestrations by composer Christopher Nightingale. A special old-school pleasure of the show are the times when several carols are woven into silvery bell-ringing renditions by members of the company.
Purists who prefer Dickens served ungarnished will find playwright Jack Thorne’s two-act rendition not entirely faithful to the familiar story. Much of the Cratchit family’s impoverished existence is eliminated, the trio of ghostly guides to past, present and future are depicted as female characters and old, regretful Scrooge pays an apologetic call upon Belle, the nice woman he once nearly wed, among other departures from the original story. Oh, and Tiny Tim dies, or so it seems for a time. Anyone caring to know more about Thorne’s dramaturgical embroidery can read my 2019 review here.
The first-rate PAC NYC revival retains the supernatural effects of the earlier production, but they appear less stormy and somehow more heavenly. The radiant dramatic lighting is created by Hugh Vanstone, who lit the Old Vic original in association with production designer Rob Howell, whose crisp Victorian clothes move well amid the polkas and other swift passages credited to Lizzi Gee. Let’s note the invaluable contributions of Simon Baker, the sound designer, who keeps voices clear when not shading them with spooky echoes and reverberations.
Lending a happy glow to this agreeable production are the vital performances of the company, some of whom played their roles in 2019. Old Scrooge, grandly portrayed with a shaggy leonine head and rusty whiskers by Michael Cerveris, stubbornly resists redemption until his instantaneous reformation. The actor skillfully deploys his supple, sonorous voice in varying ways to characterize Scrooge’s changes in attitude. Maxim Chlumecky’s youthful Ebenezer contrasts as a cheery fellow. Returning to the show in good form is Chris Hoch in a dual role as Scrooge’s dead partner Marley and his mean old father, and also Dashiell Eaves as ever-loyal Bob Cratchit.
Prettily dressed in flowery patchwork attire as the spirits who wise up Scrooge is an admirable trio: Ashlyn Maddox possesses a luminous quality and Crystal Lucas-Perry is a fiery, no-nonsense presence spiked with a Caribbean accent, but the weary graciousness that Nancy Opel exudes as a motherly Ghost of Christmas Past is haunting. So touching in her recent Tony-nominated performance in Dead Outlaw, Julia Knitel lends a genuine sensibility to Belle both as a feisty girl and a wise matron. Izzy Elena Rita presents quite a valiant Tiny Tim. The ensemble work by the 15-member company looks as good, if not better, than Broadway standard. Their bell-ringing reprise after the bows sends the audience out with smiles.
A Christmas Carol opened December 4, 2025, at the Perelman Performing Arts Center and runs through January 4, 2026. Tickets and information: pacnyc.org
