In the brisk fall of 1843, Charles Dickens was seized with an important cause, the plight of the poor children of England. He had witnessed appalling living and working conditions, and he emphatically preached against the dangers of ignorance, urging workers and employers for reform. In a moment of surely divine inspiration, Dickens realized that perhaps the best way to  deliver his message was through the power of storytelling. In only a few short weeks, A Christmas Carol was born.

From its very first appearance, the story was revolutionary, selling out in mere days. Here we are in 2023, almost 200 years later, and it has remained a crucial part of our Christmas landscape: Ebenezeer, the quintessential miser redeemed. We have seen this arc told countless times in almost innumerable renditions. What is it about Scrooge and the ghosts that has prolonged the life of this book and embedded it so firmly in our hearts?

Obviously, Charles Dickens was already a gifted writer, and this book was no exception, combining humor and eloquence in his typical fashion, albeit more light-hearted than some of his other books. (As a lover of science fiction, I take pleasure in the knowledge that Charles Dickens essentially invented time travel, as this book came out a full 50 years before the stories that are heralded as the progenitors of time travel in media.) But we all will likely agree that Dickens’s skill with prose was not the primary reason for the success of this book. There is a heart, a genuine truth about ourselves and our interaction with others on this mortal journey that hits right at the core.

Each of us may see something different in this surprisingly simple story. Perhaps we all know a Scrooge, yes, that person in your life who really needs to shape up. Or maybe, as Dickens likely have intended, we realize that we all have an inner Scrooge. We all have the capacity to withhold goodness, to look out at the world with a feeling that our actions make little difference and without hope for redemption and love. Yet we all want to know that this isn’t true. The inner Bob Cratchit, the inner Fred tells you that there is more to the picture, that you can hold kindness and joy in your heart, not just at Christmas, but all the year long. You have power and light that can be shared with others, and Dickens tells you that you must!

I hope that the show we have created here at the Parker Theatre is true to the spirit of kindness and giving that Dickens embodied in his tale. Dickens intended to teach us the danger of ignoring the needs of others around us. Every creative act going into this production has been with an eye toward his original aims. We have endeavored to capture the truest essence of the story with its myriad of iconic and beloved characters and to spread the hope of redemption this story has instilled over almost two centuries. 

The poet Thomas Hood, when the piece was originally published in 1843, wrote that "If Christmas…were ever in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease." May our version of that little red book give you new lease to seize the spirit of the season and hold it in your heart all the year long. Merry Christmas to all and God bless us, everyone. - Spencer J. Hohl