Menken & Ahren’s musical A CHRISMAS CAROL
opens at CSC in time for the holidays

Charles Dickens’ beloved Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, comes to life as a musical extravaganza on the Centenary Stage this holiday season, running Nov 25 through Dec 11 in the Sitnik Theater of the David and Carol Lackland Center in Hackettstown.

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	Photos in this gallery by Bob Eberle

About The Musical
"A tonic for children and adults…a transfixing journey…," raved the New York Times about the show that ran for ten years in Madison Square Garden. Charles Dickens' classic gets the full Broadway treatment by the Broadway team of Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid,), Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical) and Mike Okrent (Crazy For You, Me and My Girl. A Christmas Carol retains its emotional power and pure joy, thanks to the marvelously-told story by Ockrent and Ahrens, and the Menken/Ahrens score filled with beautiful melodies and emotional lyrics.

Director
The Director for A Christmas Carol is Broadway veteran, Michael Blevins.

Music By Alan Mencken
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Mike Ockrent

Cast
A Christmas Carol features a cast of 65 actors, young and old, hailing from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Osborn Focht returns to CSC in the lead role of "Scrooge" , after appearing as Bill Sykes in Oliver! last season. Focht is best known for his appearance in Paul Simon’s The Capeman on Broadway, and as Benny Andersson in Kristina at Carnegie Hall. Other returning performers from the popular CSC Oliver! production include CSC Artistic Director Carl Wallnau and Professor of theatre and dance, Lea Antolini-Lid.

The cast of A Christmas Carol will also feature students from the Centenary College Theatre Degree program, as well as the state-acclaimed CSC Young Performers Workshop Musical Theatre program and talented local performers from the region. "This production celebrates everything theatrical here at Centenary, and is our homage to this amazing new facility and its benefactors," said General Manager Catherine Rust, "and it’s going to be such great fun for everyone!"

Photo (L to R) - (back, standing) Jeremy William Hilgert (as “Fezziwig” NY) , Lea Antolini (as “lamplighter/Ghost of Christmas Past” - Sparta), Morgan Mack (Oldbridge), Emilio Tirri (as “young Ebenezer”-Blairstown), Christine De Frece (as” Mrs Fezziwig” NY) , Catherine Stebbins (Hackettstown) (Front, seated) James Nester (as “Bob Cratchet”-Pennsylvania) and Andrew Nussbaum (as “Tiny Tim”- Long Valley)

Reviews "...Scrooge and company should not frighten any young people, while the tuneful music and spirited cast of    seasoned lead actors and an energetic ensemble of students from the Centenary drama program and the    CSC's Young Performers Workshop will please all but a modern day Ebenezer." "Bottom line...you will leave the theatre with the proper joyous holiday spirit." "... Scrooge's bed chamber... becomes a large-scale musical production number ("Link By Link"), featuring a    half-dozen singing, dancing spirits presented with various levels of makeup and special effects." "...charming production." "Osborn Focht as Scrooge... a perfect Scrooge with the bonus of a fine singing voice... is supported by an    impressive group of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania talent..." "... the always excellent Lea Antolini... as the Ghost of Christmas Past "... the versatile Maria Brodeur as Granny Pickwick... demonstrated her acting versatility..."                                             Rick Busciglio, examiner.com [Full Review]   "Centenary Stage Company is a great place to see local theatre." "...have been to several performances at the theatre now and have enjoyed each one." "... was a fun spirited production, featuring both seasoned actors and young performers alike." "The large cast of over 65 did an excellent job portraying the legendary tale..." "... music and acting was well done and this was a very enjoyable family performance." "We were excited to see familiar faces from performances past, including that of Osborn Focht..." "... a great way to get into the spirit of Christmas, as well as a fun way to introduce your children to the theatre."                                             Macaroni Kid Hunterdon [Full Review]   "The musical production of 'A Christmas Carol' at Centenary College should add the subtitile 'Occupy Hackettstown.'" "... those on stage were much better organized and focused on a specific goal—entertaining the heck out of the    audience with the kind of spectacle rarely seen this deep into suburban New Jersey." "Michael Blevins, artistic director... has done an even better job with this production..." "...the energy and the immensity of the show, and the sheer volume of the talent packed inside, are nearly    overwhelming." "fast-paced crowd-pleaser..." "...colorful costumes (costume designer Julia Sharp must be exhausted)..." "Lea Antolini... is a spritely and strong-voiced Ghost of Christmas Past..." "Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Ball... is big and lively enough to pass for Broadway-level quality." "Steven Bidwell hams it up as the Ghost of Christmas Present, flexing his Scottish brogue and merrily hoofing it up    with the horde-like troupe." "Sarah Lichty... is the most alluring and graceful Ghost of Christmas Future you will ever see, but, silently whirling    about in a skin-tight unitard, she is a distraction. No grim reaper should ever be this sexy." "...terrific orchestra, which seems dominated by students but delivers the difficult score with professional panache." "...just hang onto the rails and enjoy the ride, the likes of which you may never again experience in the rolling    hills of Northwest New Jersey—unless Centenary keeps this splendid and affordable tradition alive in the years to    come."                                             William Westhoven, JeffersonPatch [Full Review]   "Centenary Stage Company grandly picks up where Madison Square Garden left off." "That there’s no intermission may prove a problem... Chances are, however, everyone will be so entertained that    the hour-and-a-half will zoom by." "Considering what director-choreographer Michael Blevins has accomplished here, one might assume that he saw    the show in 1994 and started rehearsing then." "Blevins is a demanding choreographer who throws in an unexpected arm thrust here and an unanticipated slap    on the knee there. More than five dozen actors got every move right at Saturday’s opening." "Osborn Focht... not going to play Scrooge as a melodramatic villain...doesn’t snarl, “I wish to be left alone,” but    says it matter-of-factly... soft delivery is more powerful... "Scrooge... bright red pair of long johns... smart choice by costume designer Julia Sharp... makes this Scrooge    appear downright devilish." "Playing Scrooge at 18 is Emilio Tirri... a beautiful job with “A Place Called Home,”..." "Equally superb is “God Bless Us, Everyone,” performed to good advantage by Andrew Nussbaum... portrays    Tiny Tim... an atypically deep voice, and he sings with great spirit." "Steven Bidwell is an effective Ghost of Christmas Present, and Sarah Lichty makes an equally strong impression    as Ghost of Christmas Future." "... performer portraying Ghost of Christmas Past makes the strongest impression. Lea Antolini is an amazingly    gifted and dynamic singer and dancer who has genuine charisma." "Where else can one find so lavish a musical for $27.50? (Kids’ tickets are less.) "                                             Peter Filichia, for The Star Ledger / nj.com [Full Review]   "Big! Big, big, big! That’s the first word that comes to mind..." "Making good use of the stage and splendid facilities at the Sitnik Theater..." "It’s a lot of fun and leaves the audience smiling." "...somehow Scrooge, the three ghosts who visit him, Tiny Tim, Marley’s ghost and all the rest get overwhelmed    by the musical numbers. Is that terrible? The audience at the performance we saw, which included many children,    didn’t seem to think so, although Dickens might have." "The musical numbers... almost nonstop... gorgeously done." "Lea Antolini is nymphlike as the Ghost of Christmas Past.. moves beautifully and looks like she was borrowed    from a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream." "Ghost of Christmas Present (Steven Bidwell)... brings with him a tap-dancing chorus line of Marilyn Monroe    look-alikes... male chorus... don’t know what it has to do with Scrooge, but it’s fun, and there are some    remarkably good dancers on that stage." "Director Michael Blevins also did the choreography. His Broadway history is clearly showing." "... accompanied by a very able 10-piece musical ensemble directed by Kevin Lynch." "Julia Sharp deserves bouquets for the dozens of exquisite costumes she designed." "We recommend this production of A Christmas Carol as a holiday treat that will leave everybody in a festive mood."                                             Sheila Abrams, on Ruth Ross blog, nj arts maven (approx. 4th article) [Full Review]

Schedule
Performances for A Christmas Carol are Thursdays at 7:30pm ("Family Night", with 2/1 "rush" ticket prices available at the door) , Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2 PM, Wednesday, Nov 30 @2pm and Wed. Dec 7 at 10 am (school matinee), with an additional preview matinee on Friday, Nov 25 at 2 PM. Prices range between $22.50 and $27.50 with discounts for seniors and students.
 

Nov.-Dec. 2011 - A Christmas Carol
Wed. Mat. 10am	Wed. Mat. 2pm	Thurs. Eve. 7:30pm	Fri. Mat. 2pm	Fri. Eve. 8pm	Sat. Eve. 8pm	Sun. Mat. 2pm
			25 Fri. Preview Mat.	25	26	27 "First   Sundays"
	30	1 Family Night	x	2	3	4
7*		8 Family Night	x	9	10	11 Access- ibility
* Stu. Matinee 10am. Contact CSC  Box Office for School Group Sales.

About the David and Carol Lackland Center

Sitnik Theater of the    Lackland Performing Arts Center

The Centenary Stage Company has found its new home with construction the Carol and David Lackland Center (located at 715 Grand Ave, Hackettstown), completed in August, 2010. With a 22,000-square-foot performance space, the facility is the most sophisticated performing arts venues in northwest New Jersey. The center includes a new state-of-the-art 500-seat theatre (Sitnik Theater), a black box theater (The Edith Bolte Kutz ’42 Theater), a dance studio, scene shop, a costume shop, green room and dressing rooms. In addition to housing the theatre, the 68K square foot Lackland Center is home to a variety of cultural activity, and including WNTI, the College's listener-supported public radio station, CCTV, Centenary's Comcast-licensed television studio, and gallery space for visual artists.

Named in honor of Carol Burgess Lackland, A Centenary graduate (Class of 1954), and her husband, David A. Lackland, a Centenary College Trustee, The David and Carol Lackland Center, has been designed to enrich student life and bring new cultural opportunities to northwest New Jersey.             ...more (including photos, progress reports, and 'Tour Lackland with Carl')

Lackland Center Seating
	Sitnik Lower Level Seating Seats assigned on a best available basis. [closer view]
	Sitnik Balcony Seating Seats assigned on a best available basis. [closer view]
Parking [Large Map Link]  [Print Map Link]

Subscription Values        (Review the Full Schedule) - Subscription Events)
Centenary Stage Company is often referred to as "the best deal in the state." This event can be purchased as a part of a discounted season subscription purchase. Centenary Stage Company offers several subscription plans for its season with the mission of making arts affordable for all Patrons.

While still available, you may choose the following. After an offer expires, remember these discounts for next season!

Individual Tickets
Individual Tickets are:
 

www.centenarystageco.org           boxoffice@centenarystageco.org
Mailing Address: 400 Jefferson St., Hackettstown, NJ 07840       908-979-0900
Lackland Center Physical Address: 715 Grand Avenue
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Revised: November 17, 2010
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