Artist Series Presents A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 12/20

One of the world's most enduring Christmas stories, A Christmas Carol plays Jacksonville's Times-Union Center's Moran Theater for one performance only on Friday, December 20, 2013 at 8:00PM. When Charles Dickens wrote his "ghostly little tale" in 1843, he couldn't know that A Christmas Carol was destined to become one of the most beloved holiday traditions of all time. The heartwarming tale of A Christmas Carol depicts Ebenezer Scrooge, whose values are focused exclusively on profit, and his conflicts with the struggling Cratchit family, whose tragic problems typified the working class during the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England. The touching climax is based on Dickens' belief that the ills of a greedy world can be healed by brotherhood and unselfishness. A Christmas Carol remains one of the most powerful and vivid illustrations of the necessity of good will in human conduct.

Twenty-eight performers bring Dickens' fable of redemption to life on a magical set created by noted designer James Othuse. This Victorian version of Christmas magic is presented with a full array of traditional Christmas carols interwoven with the well-known story. The songs themselves are traditional, but musical arrangements courtesy of John Bennett are contemporary and exquisitely beautiful. The colorful scenery and elaborate costumes in A Christmas Carol faithfully recreate the Victorian period. Exceptional voices, lively dancing, and dazzling special effects like the mysterious spinning bed combine to create a spectacular holiday treat for the entire family!

Tickets for A Christmas Carol in Jacksonville start at $26.50 (and at $12.75 for children 12 and under) and are available at the Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday, at (904) 442-BWAY (2929) and online 24/7 at www.artistseriesjax.org. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

The Nebraska Theatre Caravan, the professional touring wing of the Omaha Community Playhouse, has been touring Charles Jones' delightful adaptation of A Christmas Carol since 1979. The Caravan's Carol is probably the most widely produced production of Dickens' in the nation, annually performing for more than 100,000 people in more than 60 cities across the country.

One of the many reasons for the success of the Caravan's production of A Christmas Carol is this unique re-telling of the oft-told tale. It is enormously enhanced by James Othuse's beautiful set, which recreates 1880s London, and gives the entire production the effect of being a Christmas card come to life.

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