Olney Theatre Center announces the return of A Christmas Carol

Olney Theatre Center, a 73-year-old professional, award-winning, year-round theatre, announces the return of Paul Morella's unique and memorable solo performance of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas. The production, adapted from Charles Dickens' original novella and reading tour, will run from December 14, 2011 until January 1, 2012 on the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab stage.

"It's unlike any version of A Christmas Carol that audiences may have seen, and yet, it is truer to the vision and ideals Dickens had in mind when he wrote the story," says Morella. "The text is taken entirely from Dickens' novella, and through an interactive combination of storytelling and theater, it is presented as he originally intended - like a tale told around a Christmas fire."

Last year's run garnered critical acclaim and sold-out houses, and this season's version promises an even deeper journey into the heart of this classic morality tale. "It's a one-person show, yes, but the real star is Dickens himself - his prose, his characterizations and his imagery," according to Morella. "If anything, I play a Dickensian version of myself - a guide, if you will. I greet people at the door and usher them into the theater. As the narrator, sometimes I play all the characters in a scene, and sometimes the narrative comes from Scrooge. It's a pop-up book come to life."

First published December 1843, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas remains one of the more enduring holiday traditions. While it tells of the redemptive transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge, after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's late business partner, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, there are many surprising aspects found only in the original story. "This is not the overly sentimental version people are accustomed to," says Morella, "it is the true story - compassionate, intimate and heartwarming - as Dickens intended it to be experienced. Besides, everyone loves a good ghost story."

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas is intended for audiences 10 and up.

All tickets only $26. Please contact the Olney Theatre Center Box Office at (301) 924-3400 to make reservations.

For a complete list of the holiday shows go to our Holiday Plays page.