Twenty years ago, A Christmas Carol was presented for the first time at the Alliance Theatre. The Christmas slot the year before had been filled by Annie Get Your Gun. Although it was a beloved musical classic, the decision was made to change the Alliance’s programming to something more seasonally specific. Sandra Deer, a local playwright, did a terrific adaptation of A Christmas Carol that ran through the ’90s, during most of artistic director Kenny Leon’s tenure.
Then, seeking for a different tone, Leon switched to producing an adaptation by then Associate Artistic Director David Bell that focused on the redemptive story underlying Dickens’ story of ghosts, spirits, and Christmases past, present and future.
The show has always used only Atlanta actors as part of its production design and the Alliance’s commitment to the local acting pool. The show’s music, all traditional Christmas carols, serves as a reminder of the holiday Dickens meditated on while writing the book, and also helps to point out its thematic core.
It’s a Christmas tradition we are honored to present, and one we hope you will come back to enjoy for the next 20 years.
