Bucks County Playhouse and producer Hunter Arnold announced a special filmed version of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol, starring Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays, will be released worldwide on Saturday, Nov. 28. The streaming video event will benefit Bucks County Playhouse, as well as other community, amateur and regional theaters across the country which have been devastated by the pandemic.
Directed by two-time Tony-nominee Michael Arden, adapted by Mays, Arden and Susan Lyons, and conceived by Arden and Tony-nominee Dane Laffrey, the filmed version is based on the acclaimed 2018 production, which made its world premiere at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse.
“A Christmas Carol was my first experience of living theater,” said Mays. “My mother and father would read it out loud every year. My father would tell the story with clarity and humanity, while my mother, eyes ablaze, would transform into the characters, from the tortured Jacob Marley, to little Fan and the entire Cratchit family. Both, in their ways, created magic. And now here we are, aspiring to bring this magic to people across the country during this challenging time.”
“My theater career began when I was a 10-year-old Texas playing Tiny Tim in the Midland Community Theatre production of A Christmas Carol. In a time when theaters and arts workers across the country are in great need, bringing a story that celebrates the power of creativity, community and our shared humanity is humbling,” said Arden.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s theaters have lost over 80 percent of their income, a number that is devastating to our community,” said Arnold. “These theaters, the work they produce, and the artists and workers they support are a fundamental part of our society. We must fight for their survival.”
A Christmas Carol was filmed at New York’s United Palace, chosen to preserve the power of the theatrical storytelling Mays and Arden have created. The timeless tale comes to thrilling new life as Mays plays over 50 roles.
Tickets are available at buckscountyplayhouse.org/achristmascarol
