Tara McGovern, Tim Budd; photo by Bob Goodfellow

You probably know the story but here's a recap:  "A Christmas Carol" centers around a bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge and his change into a warm, generous man after being visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley, and three spirits: the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Dickens published this novella (1843) during a unique time in Victorian era Britain when people were hungry for Christmas nostalgia and companies were introducing new customs, such as Christmas trees and holiday greeting cards.  In fact, Sir Henry Cole created the first Christmas cards in May of 1843.  This is the card:

The book was adapted to the stage almost immediately, with 3 productions opening in 1844. But Dickens decided that the best way to reach audiences with the story was through public readings and he prepared an abbreviated version of the tale for that purpose.  His very first public reading of any story was of “A Christmas Carol” in 1853.  The public readings were incredibly successful and he performed the story 127 times, until the year of his death in 1870.  (“A Christmas Carol” was also his final performance.)

The story is so popular that it has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, stage, opera and other media. 

What's special about the production at Riverside?

This season’s production of A Christmas Carol at Riverside Theatre is the very first time that this version of the show will be performed by someone other than the adapter and actor Paul Morella.

Paul Morella is a contemporary actor who, in a desire to take “A Christmas Carol” back to its public performance roots, adapted the story to a one-person show using Dickens’ own language. Morella himself performs the show at Olney Theatre Center in Maryland.  Morella talks about his adaptation in this video.

We're lucky to have professional Iowa City actor Tim Budd performing this beautiful solo piece, taking on the role of Narrator and the voices of Dickens’ characters from Scrooge to Tiny Tim.

Live music by fiddler Tara McGovern adds an extra richness to the experience. Tara McGovern has been performing across the Midwest with the traditional Irish band The Beggarmen since 2004 and holds a degree in music therapy.

Tim Budd most recently performed the role of Buddy in Kimberly Akimbo.  Last season he played Iago in RTP’s Othello and acted in Riverside’s Gilbert Street productions of Walking the Wire:  Merge, Good People, and Birth Witches, as well as directing Coming of Age in Chore Boots.  Other recent work includes acting in Hancher's production of Working Group Theatre's new play Out of Bounds.  An Iowa native, Tim finished his studies towards an MFA in acting at the University of Iowa and works full-time at Prairie Lights Books.

Tim Budd; photo by James Caldwell

Still need tickets? Here's the info:

Pricing

Adults: $30 (Over 60/under 30 years old, $28)
Youth (18 and under): $18
Riverdogs:  $25
Student rush: $20 (any unsold tickets 20 mins before the show)
Veterans/Military (Blue Star discount): $24
Groups of 10+, call the Box Office for your discount!