By Bruce Chadwick
originally published: 05/07/2022
It was raining yesterday, not snowing, but all of New Jersey received some Christmas news from Princeton’s McCarter Theatre –their legendary production of A Christmas Carol is coming back in December.
Hallelujah!
The play, adapted from Charles Dicken’s 1843 book, has been the holiday wonder of the season in New Jersey for over forty years. I have watched it for dozens of years, one production better than the last, one Ebenezer Scrooge better than the previous, one 19th century London set more lovable than the last. It’s here again. Let’s sing and dance and cheer and reach for some eggnog.
A Christmas Carol, gone for the last two years, was halted by the Pandemic, as were so many other plays and holiday events.
My best memory of seeing the play was in the early 1980s. I took my son, then seven or eight, to it on a chilly week night in December. I left my seat to do something and walked through the lobby. There, through the big old wooden doors, I could see that it had just started to snow and the grounds around the old theater had started to turn white with it. My eyes widened. I rushed to find an usher because I knew it was near the end of the play and at the finish it snowed artificially on stage. I told him it had started to snow outside. He alerted the other ushers and they raced through the theater, flinging open all of the doors so the audience could see it snowing inside and outside as well. Whoa! What a moment!
Everybody knows the story. Ghosts take crotchety old Ebenezer Scrooge, the cheapest man who ever lived, on tours through his past, present and future. The ghosts remind him of the wonderful life he could have led, but did not because of his workaholic life and endless greed. He meets up with employee Bob Cratchit’s wife and family and that adorable, but dying, kid, Tiny Tim. Can Scrooge change himself and save himself? Can’t we all?
Oh, it’s just terrific.
The play will be basically the same as always and, I’m sure, bring the same Christmas cheer to its 2022 holiday audience as it always has.
I’m happy about the holiday play’s return for several reasons. First, it’s good to have the old chestnut back again. Second, it’s a great play. Third, maybe its return signals a start to the end of COVID, which not only cancelled last year’s show, but this year COVID’s omicron variant cancelled numerous performances and sickened a lot of people (me included).
So three cheers for Ebenezer Scrooge, good old London, little Tiny Tim and the ghosts of Christmas.
And three cheers for the folks at McCarter for bringing back this gem.
PHOTO: Greg Wood (center) and members of the 2017 A Christmas Carol ensemble. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
About the author:
Bruce Chadwick worked for 23 years as an entertainment writer/critic for the New York Daily News. Later, he served as the arts and entertainment critic for the History News Network, a national online weekly magazine. Chadwick holds a Ph. D in History and Cultural Studies from Rutgers University. He has written 31 books on U.S. history and has lectured on history and culture around the world. He is a history professor at New Jersey City University.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's "London Suite"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse presents Neil Simon's London Suite with three performances from July 11-12, 2026. Witty, charming, and unmistakably Neil Simon, London Suite invites audiences into a series of hilarious and heartfelt encounters set in the same London hotel room.
The Light Opera of New Jersey presents "H.M.S. Pinafore" at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center
(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Light Opera of New Jersey presents H.M.S. Pinafore from July 11-12, 2026 at the Sieminski Theater Cultural Arts Center. This is a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan that satirize the British class system.
Misfits Theatre Co. presents "She Loves Me"
(MATAWAN, NJ) -- Misfits Theatre Co., a community theater organization dedicated to producing bold, entertaining, and accessible theater for audiences of all ages, presents its inaugural book musical production, She Loves Me at Matawan Regional High School from July 10-12, 2026.
Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presents "Sense and Sensibility" in Plainfield
(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center invites audiences to experience Jane Austen's beloved classic Sense and Sensibility in a charming production. NOTE: Due to storm damage at duCret Center of Art, they will now be performing indoors at Plainfield Performing Arts Center. Performances take place July 10-12, 2026
Howell PAL Theater Company presents "Grease"
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Howell PAL Theater Company presents the classic musical Grease weekends from July 10-12, 2026 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. Grease is a love song to the 1950s and a cornerstone of the American musical comedy form.
Pioneer Productions presents encore run of "What the Constitution Means to Me" in Chatham Borough
(CHATHAM, NJ) -- Pioneer Productions is thrilled to announce encore performances of their production of Heidi Schreck's "What the Constitution Means to Me." Following a sold-out run of the show in downtown Morristown earlier this year, the original cast and production team have partnered with Chatham Borough to present an encore weekend July 11-12, 2026 at the Stanely Center.
Masquerade Theatre presents a staged reading of "Executive Decisions" by Dan Jankauskas
(RIVERSIDE, NJ) -- Masquerade Theatre presents a staged reading of Executive Decisions by Dan Jankauskas from July 10-12, 2026. It tells the story of two coworkers, Fives and Tenner, who are suddenly faced with the prospect that their routine deskwork has lethal consequences.
Phoenix Productions presents "Rock of Ages"
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Phoenix Productions presents Rock of Ages from July 10-12, 2026 at Count Basie Center for the Arts. Rock of Ages takes you back to the time of big bands with big egos playing big guitar solos and sporting even bigger hair!
Skyline Theatre Company presents Shakespeare on the Porch with "Much Ado About Nothing"
(BLOOMFIELD, NJ) -- Skyline Theatre Company presents Much Ado About Nothing with performances July 17-18, 2026 as part of its Shakespeare on the Porch series. The Bard's ultimate rom-com comes to life on the porch of the Oakeside Mansion.
The Montclair Foundation and Studio Players will present Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at Van Vleck House and Gardens
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Montclair Foundation and Studio Players will present Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing outside at Van Vleck House and Gardens across two weekends from July 10-18, 2026. This is no ordinary stage production, it’s an immersive theatrical experience.
FEATURED EVENTS
