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The world premiere adaption of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Geffen Playhouse will extend through December 16, it was announced today. Adapted by Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons and Michael Arden, this one-man production features Mays taking on nearly 50 different roles in a new adaptation, which is based on the edited version Dickens himself used for public performances.
Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) breathes new life into the greatest ghost story ever told. While the heart of A Christmas Carol is evergreen, Mays brings fresh perspective to Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and the rest, playing every role in this whirlwind one-man show.
Tony Award-nominated director Michael Arden (Once On This Island, Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening) creates a wildly theatrical and spectacular experience. This world premiere adaptation of a beloved story of redemption offers an early—and unexpected—start to the holiday season.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is produced with the generous support of Hunter Arnold.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Monday No performance
Tuesday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.
RUNNING TIME
Approximately 90 minutes. There will be no intermission.
LOCATION
Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets currently priced at $30.00 – $120.00. Available in person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, by phone at 310.208.5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply.
Rush tickets for each day’s performance are made available to the general public 30 minutes before showtime at the box office. $35.00 General / $10.00 Student
COLLEGE AUDIENCES
Through a variety of events and other opportunities, the Geffen Playhouse welcomes college students to experience the live storytelling presented on our stages. We are proud of our association with UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, and open our doors to all college students throughout Los Angeles. More information is available at www.geffenplayhouse.org/college.
CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Adapted by Jefferson Mays, Susan Lyons & Michael Arden
Performed by Jefferson Mays
Directed by Michael Arden
Previews: Thursday, November 1 – Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Opening Night: Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Closing Night: Sunday, December 9, 2018
PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic and Costume Designer Dane Laffrey
Lighting Designer Ben Stanton
Sound Designer Joshua D. Reid
Projection Designer Lucy Mackinnon
Production Stage Manager Ross Jackson
Assistant Stage Manager Sue Karutz
Spectral Visualization Matt Wool
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Jefferson Mays (Performer / Adaptor)
Jefferson Mays has appeared at Geffen Playhouse in I Am My Own Wife and Yes, Prime Minister! Broadway credits are Oslo, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Best Man, I Am My Own Wife, Pygmalion, Journey’s End and Of Thee I Sing. Off-Broadway, he has performed in Measure for Measure, Lydie Breeze, Quills and many more. Regional credits include My Fair Lady, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Cherry Orchard, Tartuffe, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Hamlet, The Winter’s Taleand Peter Pan. Film and television credits include the upcoming I Am the Night and the Coen brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Inherent Vice, Rebel in the Rye, I am Michael, The Notorious Bettie Page, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Americans, Mildred Pierce, Law & Order: SVU, Nurse Jackie, The Closer and Dolley Madison. Awards include Tony, Lucille Lortel, Drama Desks, Obies, Outer Critic’s Circle, Helen Hayes, Elliot Norton, Theatre World, Drama League, Jefferson, Dramalogue and Helpmann. Mays received his B.A. from Yale College and an M.F.A. from University of California, San Diego. He is married to Susan Lyons.
Michael Arden (Director / Adaptor)
Michael Arden began his theater career at age ten playing Tiny Tim in the Midland Community
Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol in Midland, Texas. He is humbled to be working with the singular Jefferson Mays and all the incredible artists and technicians—including his longtime friend and collaborator Dane Laffrey—on this reimagining of Charles Dickens’ masterpiece. Past directing credits include Deaf West Theatre’s Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), Once on This Island (Tony nomination and the 2018 winner of Best Revival of a Musical), The Pride, Merrily We Roll Along, My Fair Lady and Annie at the Hollywood Bowl. He hopes Scrooge’s visitations might inspire us all to lead more honest, empathetic and benevolent lives. God bless us, every one!
Susan Lyons (Adaptor)
After graduating from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, Susan worked extensively in theater, film, television and radio, playing a wide range of leading roles with all the major companies. She was awarded the Marten Bequest in 1993. Married to Jefferson Mays, she directed him in the national and international tours of I Am My Own Wife.
Charles Dickens (Playwright)
Charles Dickens, one of the most popular and prolific writers of the nineteenth century, was born in 1812, in Portsea, England. In 1824, his father was arrested for debt and while he was imprisoned, Dickens, then only 12, was forced to work at a blacking factory. After his father was released from prison, Dickens attended school in London. In 1827, he was taken out of school and worked in a law office and later as a freelance reporter. In 1833, he began publishing The Pickwick Papers in monthly installments. Over the next six years, Dickens published four novels in serial form including Oliver Twist (1837-1839) and Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839). In 1842, he went on a lecture tour of the United States and Canada, where he urged the abolition of slavery. He wrote A Christmas Carol, the first of his popular Christmas books, in 1844. In 1853, Dickens gave the first of many public readings from his work. During this period, Dickens wrote his most successful novels, including David Copperfield (1849-1850), Bleak House (1852-1853), Hard Times (1854), A Tale of Two Cities (1859) and Great Expectations (1860-1861). After several tours of the British Isles and America to give public readings, Dickens suffered a mild stroke. He died in London in 1870, leaving his final novel The Mystery of Edwin Droodunfinished.
OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS
Audi of America
City National Bank
Hint Water
Kind
Napa Valley Grille
Sipsmith London
