Goodman Theatre Brings Back A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 11/19-12/31

Goodman Theatre's perennial holiday classic A Christmas Carol, consistently included among the Midwest's top-tier holiday events, returns for the 33rd season. Renowned Chicago actor John Judd appears for the first time in the legendary role of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, "Goodman Theatre's annual Christmas gift to Chicago" (Daily Herald) for more than three decades. Judd leads a cast of 26 this holiday season-including 10 Chicagoland actors also appearing in A Christmas Carol for the first time. Chicago actor/director William Brown returns for the fifth consecutive year to stage the production hailed as "a joyous present for the entire family"

(Chicago Sun-Times) and "ideal family fare, both heartwarming and spectacular in its familiar tale" (Chicago Tribune). A Christmas Carol runs November 19 - December 31, 2010 in the Goodman's Albert Theatre. Tickets are $25 - $76 and can be purchased at GoodmanTheatre.org, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). Harris Bank is the Major Corporate Sponsor of A Christmas Carol. Aon Corporation and Chapman and Cutler LLP are Corporate Sponsor Partners and Chicago Tribune is the Media Sponsor.

"A Christmas Carol at the Goodman has made an astonishing impact on Chicago as the annual holiday tradition for thousands of families, as well as the entry point to theater for a legion of young people," said Executive Director Roche Schulfer, who was instrumental in originating the production at Goodman Theatre 32 years ago.

"We are proud to consistently deliver the definitive holiday theatrical offering in our region-a first-rate, glorious production that has touched the lives of well over a million theatergoers." 200 Chicagoland children-a record number-auditioned for this year's production. An all-newly cast Cratchit family includes young performers Cameron Conforti (South Elgin) as Tiny Tim; Megan Delaney (Western Springs) Belinda; Emma Gordon (ClarenDon Hills) as Emily; Peyton Young (Mokena) as Martha; and Grant Mitchell (Elmhurst) as Peter. Other newcomers to the Goodman's production include Nate Burger (Chicago) as Dick Wilkins; Naren Chaudhry (Oak Park) as Turkey Boy; Aaron Holland (Chicago) as Percy; Eric Parks (Chicago) as Young Scrooge; and Lisa Tejero (Chicago) as Miss Crumb.

Veteran actors returning to the production include Susan Felder (Chicago) as Mrs. Fezziwig; Tim Gittings (Chicago) as Topper; Katie Jeep (Chicago) as Abby; Anish Jethmalani nish (Chicago) as the Ghost of Jacob Marley; John Lister (Chicago) as Mr. Fezziwig; Michael Perez (Chicago) as Mr. Ortle; Ron Rains (Chicago) as Bob Cratchit; Tiffany Scott (Chicago) as Belle; Christine Sherrill (St. Charles) as Mrs. Cratchit; Susan Shunk usan (Chicago) as Ghost of Christmas Past; Andy Truschinski (Chicago) as Fred; and Penelope Walker (Chicago) as Ghost of Christmas Present. Also returning to the production are musicians Justin Amolsch (Chicago), Greg Hirte (Chicago) and Malcolm Ruhl (Highland Park).

Based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol is the tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who is opposed to holiday cheer and indifferent to the sufferings of the poor in Victorian London. Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who offer him the opportunity to sympathize with his fellow man. Dickens' famous characters include Scrooge's kind-hearted clerk Bob Cratchit and his family, including Tiny Tim, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, the merry-making Fezziwig couple and the Ghost of Jacob Marley. Throughout its history at the Goodman, over 1 million people have experienced A Christmas Carol and the production has hosted six directors, seven Scrooges, 27 Tiny Tims and nearly 20,000 "Bah, Humbug!"s.