CHAPEL

This A Christmas Carol goes beyond other adaptations with a unique dramatic concept: At the opening curtain, Charles Dickens himself is introduced to the audience, ready to present one of the famed platform readings of his stories that packed auditoriums in Europe and America. Of course, the story chosen is one which he often performed, A Christmas Carol (Dickens' marked-up script still exists!). The story unfolds behind him, and soon Dickens is weaving in and out of the action, observing, performing small roles, interpolating short passages of rich narrative never heard in other versions. He handles props and helps Scrooge and others with costume changes. Originally conceived for Mr. Jakes' home stage, the Hilton Head Playhouse, the play is supremely flexible in cast and design. The piece includes "God Bless Us Every One,"* a lovely new carol by Jakes and Tony-nominated composer Mel Marvin, as well as suggestions for placement of incidental music. Jim Volz, former managing director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where the play received its professional premiere, says of it: "In John Jakes' hands, A Christmas Carol recaptures the magic and mystique of the Dickens original. It is a brilliant script."