Angela Lannone stars in The Contemporary Theatre’s one women version of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” from Thursday to Dec 22. Credit: Courtesy of Adam Fauth
A contemporary twist on a holiday classic is returning to Columbus for its second year.
The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio will stage Greg Oliver Bodine’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with showtimes beginning Dec. 12 and running until Dec. 22 at the Riffe Center — located at 77 S. High St. in Downtown Columbus.
According to the Contemporary Theatre’s website, this unique production will feature Angela Lannone as Charles Dickens, traveling from city to city to recount the beloved tales of Scrooge and the Three Ghosts.
Leda Hoffmann, the theater’s artistic director, said it is rare for the theater to bring back a show for a second run; however, last year’s success brought “A Christmas Carol” back for this season.
“This is the first time we’ve brought back a show in the five years I’ve been here,” Hoffmann said. “We do it every once in a while when we have a great hit. Audiences loved it last year; we had people coming more than once.”
Christy Farnbauch, the theater’s executive director, said she credits social media for significantly boosting the show’s success last year.
“I think people were interested and intrigued by the one-person version of it,” Farnbauch said. “After people saw it, word of mouth spread and people began posting on socials. We are really thrilled to do it again.”
Farnbauch said she hopes “A Christmas Carol” will become a yearly tradition at The Contemporary Theatre that keeps families returning every December.
“I think it would be great fun for people to count on it every year,” Farnbauch said. “When you go to see ‘A Christmas Carol,’ you can pop over to the Commons and see the lights, or have dinner or go down and walk the river. You can make a nice little evening out of it.”
Hoffmann said she also credits the show’s previous success to Lannone, who played the same role in last year’s production.
“I really believe she is one of the best actors working in American theater,” Hoffmann said. “What she can do with her voice and body, the little subtle shifts just makes you imagine, without any costume changes, these characters right there in front of you.”
Hoffmann said the show centers around Dickens himself reading the story aloud to audiences.
“Lannone plays Charles Dickens who’s coming to tell the story aloud, and it’s historically accurate,” Hoffmann said. “He used to travel the country reading ‘A Christmas Carol’ aloud. He actually came to Columbus to the same block as the Riffe Center to tell this story.”
Despite the one-person nature of the show, Hoffmann said the play does not stray far from the Christmas classic that audiences have grown to know so well.
“It’s very much based on the original text of the Dickens novella. There’s nothing added,” Hoffmann said. “The playwright has just pulled out the important parts of the story and really dialed [it] down to make it dramatic and exciting.”
Farnbauch said like all shows The Contemporary Theatre puts on, “A Christmas Carol” uses a modern mindset that shines a light on the Columbus community.
“We always use the contemporary lens and think about reflecting the diversity of the community,” Farnbauch said. “As long as the show is on brand, we will do more seasonal shows.”
According to The Contemporary Theatre’s website, $20 student tickets are available at the theater two hours before show time. Additionally, “pay what you want” tickets are available for preview performances of every production up to two hours before showtime through the theater’s ticket office.
Farnbauch said accessibility is pertinent to the theater’s mission.
“Being accessible is really important to us, so ‘pay what you want’ is a concept which allows people to come and pay what they want or can afford,” Farnbauch said. “It’s about being accessible — we’ve baked that into our DNA.”
For more information about the show, visit The Contemporary Theatre’s website.
