It’s one of the most well-known Christmas stories ever written. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, from the mid-1800s, has since been adapted for stage productions and performed during the holiday season around the world.
And the holiday spirit is very much alive in Los Angeles, where at least 15 productions of A Christmas Carol are being staged at theaters across the city. These shows have been an annual tradition for decades at some theaters, while others are adding zany twists to Dickens’ story.
Now in it’s 43rd year, “A Christmas Carol” at South Coast Repertory Theater is playing to packed houses of red scarf-wearing audiences every night. Photo by Jenny Graham.
At the South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa, viewers have been treated to an edition of this play for 43 years. Richard Doyle, the actor who portrays the miserly protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, has brought to life various roles through his 36 years doing the show, but this is his third as the famous curmudgeon. Devoted audience members even show up wearing red scarves, like the one Scrooge’s nephew gives to him in the story.
The Independent Shakespeare Company’s take on “A Christmas Carol” is straight from Charles Dickens’ acting edition of his one man show. Photo by Grettel Cortes.
A pared-down version of A Christmas Carol is performed by the Independent Shakespeare Company in Atwater Village at their black-box theater. The play itself is based on the script Dickens used when he performed the play in a one man show. The staging is almost like a two-hander play, with Dickens’ “assistant” providing the voice of a couple of characters, some comedy and sound effects.
Zombie Joe’s is staging their 10th “A Christmas Carol” this year in a special remembrance to one of the company members who recently passed. Photo courtesy of Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater.
Head to North Hollywood, and you’ll encounter an intriguing version of A Christmas Carol at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater. Accurate to name, the performance features zombies — lots of zombies. You’ll get singing and all the usual lines, but, you know, with zombie makeup on all the actors.
Gus Krieger performs dozens of characters in his one man show version of “A Christmas Carol.” Photo courtesy The Porters of Hellsgate.
On Highland Ave. just south of Melrose, you’ll encounter a different kind of A Christmas Carol, one that takes a lot of stamina. It’s a one-man show staged by The Porters of Hellsgate, with actor Gus Krieger playing 30+ characters in a sparse production that puts the spotlight on his acting chops.
Madame Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Musical is making its world debut in Glendale at the Nocturne Theater. Photo courtesy of Melissa Meyer.
And at the Nocturne Theater in Glendale, A Christmas Carol is transformed into a completely new experience with the world premiere of this musical. The central character is Madame Scrooge –– a woman –– who sings her way through the classic tale. Husband and wife team Melissa and Justin Meyer bought the theater in Glendale this year and have turned it into an over-the-top winter wonderland. They commissioned Chris Thomas for the new musical’s lush score and orchestrations that have a very Danny Elfman-esque vibe.