A Charles Dickens Christmas

People of a certain age fondly remember network celebrity Christmas specials of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. People older than me! Again, I am a relatively young man. Look a my picture! Take a good, long look. No, not that close of a look. What's that about gray hairs? And, no, that's my father's hairline. Well, young at heart, at least.

But who can forget the Andy Williams, Bob Hope, and Perry Como specials of Christmases past. The heartwarming holiday carols with amazing musical guests and the silly comedy sketches. But of course my favorite was the Charles Dickens Christmas. Who could forget Charles introducing his friends Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin for their renditions of Silent Night and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. And later when he was joined by David Bowie and Twiggy? Hilarious!

What's that? I'm confusing Charles Dickens with who...wasn't Dickens the White Christmas guy?

Let me check my notes...

Of course! Who could forget the joy encapsulated in the bleak Gothic realism of a rapidly industrializing 19th century London in the famous British author Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. While the lesson learned by the end of the tale is easily applicable to the Christmas season, how Dickens was able to turn the depressing story of poor life choices and death into a Christmas classic is truly a feather in his literary cap.

KVTA is taking advantage of a lull in performances following the smash hit that was Elf JR and the heartstring-tugging Steel Magnolias at the end of January. A staged reading of A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Tyler McMahon, will take place in KVTA's Black Box Theatre on December 6 at 7 pm. This limited performance is presented free of charge (while donations are accepted at the door) and all seats are available on a first-come first-serve basis. This is a one night only performance, so come early for good seats. Also come early to stay warm with a variety of non-alcoholic hot drinks for sale, provided by Hopps & Scotch.

If you haven't seen a staged reading, it's important to know that despite the scripts in hand, there is nothing between you and the actors. This is an opportunity for KVTA to provide more fine arts to our community than is normally available. A staged reading generally requires less rehearsal and preparation time than a full production, but still allows the actors as much of an opportunity to translate their characters from the page to you. And this style of performance allows for a large, diverse cast that may not otherwise be able to get together for a full production. It is also a chance to perform the experimental, classic, or home-spun material that may not be optimal for a full production.

What a great addition to our community's holiday season. I hope you are looking forward to this performance at KVTA's Black Box Theatre on December 6 at 7 pm. This cast is excited for their lone performance, so let's give them a full house!