Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol is the timeless tale of giving, generosity and the true spirit of Christmas. For a good many of us, Christmas is just not Christmas unless the festivities include this stage classic. If you’re among those whose holiday is incomplete without an annual fix of Scrooge and Tiny Tim, you’re in luck because this is the season for Dickens.
For starters, try here. Check out the venues for this Dickens classic, and you’ll get the idea. In addition to major metro areas such as Houston, Los Angeles, Charleston, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Syracuse, Tulsa and Washington, you’ll be able to find productions a lot closer to home.
There’s Chicago, of course, and the same site will tell you how to nail down tickets for productions in these other Midwest cities—Columbus, OH; Grand Forks, ND; Rochester, MI and St. Louis, MO. Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list. There are lots of other major theatres, community theatre groups and high school troupes who also stage this Christmas favorite every year.
Living in southwestern Michigan, we are especially blessed when it comes to Dickens. For starters, there is the wonderful New Vic Theatre at 134 East Vine Street in Kalamazoo (269/381-3328). The New Vic has been around since 1966, and for a good many of those years, it has presented its annual adaptation of The Christmas Carol. That’s the good news. The bad is that getting tickets is as hard as Scrooge’s heart. You can always call if you’re on the waiting list. Or check out tickets now for next year.
It’s about the same story if you want to partake of the annual Charles Dickens’ Roast Goose & Spirits Dinner. It’s an annual Christmas extravaganza of Victoria’s Restaurant at the remarkable Victorian Villa in Union City, MI (517/741-7383) the first three weekends of every December.
“This very special Victorian Christmas treat includes nine courses of food and six courses of spirits—identical to the dinners described by Dickens’ in ‘The Christmas Carol.’” But you won’t get in this year. People sometimes wait two years for this Dickens treat. Have a really special occasion coming up in the next two or three years? Start planning now.
In addition to productions of The Christmas Carol and Dickens dinners, there are also Dickens festivals. Just as with presentations of his famous play, you will find festivals celebrating Charles Dickens all over the country. Once again, Michiganians are specially favored. Again, let me quote from a Web site: “For 32 years, the sights, sounds, smells and surprises of the Dickens Festival have been delighting holiday revelers in downtown Holly. Join in the fun as Charles Dickens’ Merry Old England comes alive in the atmosphere of turn-of-the-century buildings, welcoming shopkeepers and skilled craftspeople.”
The village of Holly is in northwest Oakland County. Admission is free, and complete information is available here or by calling 248/634-9571. The festival runs from late November and most of December.
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