The Guthrie Theater today announced that British theater, television and film actor Daniel Gerroll will play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 2010 production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, presented by U.S. Bank. Guthrie audiences will remember Gerroll from his role as phonetics professor Henry Higgins in the theater's 2004 production of Shaw's Pygmalion and, more recently, for his television appearances on ABC's "Ugly Betty" and USA Network's "The Starter Wife." With a newly-commissioned script by British playwright Crispin Whittell, Dickens' beloved holiday story takes to the Guthrie stage for its 36th year, featuring a re-envisioned production from a new creative team that includes set designer Walt Spangler, costume designer Mathew J. LeFebvre, Tony Award-winning lighting designer Christopher Akerlind, composer Keith Thomas, sound designer Scott W. Edwards and aerial effects director John Stead.
Guthrie director
Joe Dowling will direct the production, marking the first time this perennial holiday favorite has been helmed by a Guthrie artistic director. "A Christmas Carol has been a staple of the Guthrie repertoire since 1975," said Dowling, "After so many years I feel it's time to re-examine the way the Guthrie tells this story. I have long admired Crispin Whittell's work and I'm thrilled he's agreed to give us a fresh take on Dickens' classic tale. I look forward to directing this new production and collaborating with this incredible design team."
The 2010 production of A Christmas Carol is sponsored by U.S. Bank. "We are proud to be the title sponsor of this year's A Christmas Carol, and are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with the Guthrie to bring world-class performances to our doorstep," said Elliot Jaffee, U.S. Bank Twin Cities Market President. "A Christmas Carol is a Twin Cities holiday tradition that contributes to our quality of life and helps make our community a great place to live, work and visit."
Firmly rooted as a ghost story, just as Dickens conceived it, the Guthrie's new production of A Christmas Carol begins in a snowstorm in the middle of a London graveyard, slowly receding as the hustle and bustle of the London streets come in to view. Most will know what happens next, but just how it will happen is a holiday surprise. A miserly and miserable man, Scrooge resents generosity on all occasions and greets each Christmas with his well-known "bah humbug," until he is visited one Christmas Eve by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. Through a restless night, the three spirits show him happy memories from his past, cruel realities from the present and the desolate future should he continue his cantankerous ways. From that point forward, no one has kept Christmas as faithfully or fruitfully as old Ebenezer Scrooge, whose story of redemption, beloved by audiences for years, remains as powerful and uplifting as it ever was.
More than 800 actors have appeared in the Guthrie holiday production of Dickens' immortal story over the last 35 years, including many recognizable local names, as well as actors with flourishing careers outside the Twin Cities in film and television. This year's cast - featuring Guthrie regulars
Virginia S. Burke (Mrs. Cratchit),
Bob Davis (Mr. Fezziwig / Old Joe / Doctor),
Nathaniel Fuller (George, the Bailiff / Mr. Sykes, the Schoolmaster / Stanley, a Banker),
Summer Hagen (Daisy Fezziwig),
Kris L. Nelson (Bob Cratchit / Donald),
Isabell Monk O'Connor (Mrs. Dilber / Bumble),
Angela Timberman (Merriweather) and
Suzanne Warmanen (Mrs. Fezziwig / Bunty) - will be no different. Actors
Kate Eifrig (The Ghost of Christmas Past),
Nic Few (The Ghost of Christmas Present / Morgan, a Banker),
Hugh Kennedy (The Ghost of Christmas Future / Mr. Wimple / David) and
Lee Mark Nelson (Jacob Marley / Mr. Bones / Scrooge's Priest) will play Scrooge's memorable supernatural visitors.
In addition to Kennedy, this year's production will feature the talents of six other University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program alumni, including Sam Bardwell (Topper / Dick Wilkins), Ali Rose Dachis (Deidre Fezziwig / Sally),
Kathryn Lawrey (Dora Fezziwig / Jane),
James Leighton (Young Scrooge / Undertaker / Tim's Priest), Noah Putterman (Fred / Daniel) and
Christine Weber (Belle / Wimple's Wife / Kitty, Fred's Wife).
A 13-member children's ensemble rounds out the cast, which will feature Julius Andrews IV (Beggar Boy / School Boy) and sister Myasia Andrews (Street Kid),
Noah Coon (Peter Cratchit / Street Kid / School Boy), Archie Gallivan (Street Kid / School Boy),
Kate Howell (Martha Cratchit / Street Kid),
Elizabeth McCormick (Belinda Cratchit / Street Kid) and brother Ryan McCormick (Wimple's Son / Belle's Son / Ignorance / School Boy), Andrew Moy (Street Kid / School Boy), Ella Nelson (Wimple's Daughter / Belle's Daughter / Want),
Kacie Riddle (Fanny / Street Kid), Alaina Lucy Rivera (Wimple's Daughter / Belle's Daughter),
Noah Ross (Tiny Tim / School Boy) and
Nicholas Saxton (Youngest Scrooge / Street Kid).
The production team also includes Michel Lupu (Dramaturgy),
Gillian Lane-Plescia (Voice and Dialect Coach), Joe Chvala (Movement),
Russell W. Johnson (Production Stage Manager), Benjamin McGovern (Associate Director), Jason Clusman (Assistant Stage Manager) and Chris A. Code (Assistant Stage Manager).
A Christmas Carol begins preview performances on November 19, opens November 26 and continues through December 30, 2010, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single tickets start at $29 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.
The GUTHRIE THEATER (
Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir
Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of
Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $283 billion in assets as of June 30, 2010, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,002 banking offices in 24 states and 5,309 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.
