Beginning Nov. 15, Malvern-based theatre People’s Light continues its 2023/24 season with a production of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Infused with original music and traditional English carols, this jubilant rendition of the beloved Yuletide ghost story is the perfect way to celebrate the holidays.

A Christmas Carol is directed by Nell Bang-Jensen and features a stellar ensemble of award-winning actors. The play runs from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, with 44 performances presented on the Leonard C. Haas Stage, a 340-seat performance venue housed in an 18th-century stone barn.

People’s Light originally premiered Producing Artistic Director Zak Berkman’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 2021. The production incorporates a vibrant mix of original songs and rearranged 19th-century English carols by Berkman with additional arrangements by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mitch Chakour.

The latest production features a new director, design team, and cast, with additional songs written to offer audiences a fresh experience this holiday season. The music is performed by a live, five-piece musical ensemble supporting a nationally-renowned cast of performers. Like the ghosts who visit Ebenezer Scrooge, the People’s Light adaptation is a dialogue among the past, present, and future – A Christmas Carol for today that explores themes of loss, generosity, and the collective good.

“As I dove into Charles Dickens’s work to create this adaptation, I was reminded how this timeless story is about the beauty of family, redemption, forgiveness, and the miracles that help broken-hearted people emerge from grief,” said Berkman. “Everything about our approach to telling this story focuses on the amazing feats humans can achieve together. It’s so restorative to hear people harmonize, to watch an ensemble move together, construct a world together with their bodies, imaginations, shadow, and light. We hope the way we tell this story, in addition to the story itself, uplifts everyone who comes to see it.”

The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge (Ian Merrill Peakes), a miserly man who despises Christmas. He is alone on the night of Christmas Eve when the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley (Jahi Kearse) appears and warns Scrooge that, if he does not become kinder, he will suffer a terrible fate after death. Before disappearing, Marley reveals that Scrooge will be visited by three more ghosts throughout the night. Scrooge initially dismisses the warning but, as each ghostly visit becomes more terrifying than the last, he resolves to change his ways. What follows is a heartwarming and uplifting tale of redemption that has resonated through the generations since Dickens first published the story in 1843.

This production stars Otto F. Haas and Barrymore Award-winning actor Ian Merrill Peakes, who also portrayed Scrooge in the 2021 world premiere production at People’s Light. Barrymore Award-winning actor Akeem Davis and Broadway actor Kennedy Caughell appear as Bob and Emily Cratchit. Also joining the cast is Broadway actor Jahi Kearse as Jacob Marley, with Anna Faye Lieberman and Maya Jane Lagerstam as the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present.

The ensemble is rounded out with Robby Clater as Fred, Max Gallagher as Martha, Madeleine Garcia as Belle, and People’s Light Company Members Susan McKey and Tom Teti return to the stage as Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig. It also features two rotating casts of youth performers from the Chester County region, with youth actors Owen Ahlmer and Prince Peay starring as the iconic Tiny Tim.

Additionally, People’s Light brought on Philadelphia-based theatermaker and Artistic Director of Theatre Horizon Bang-Jensen to direct. She has created four full-scale, original works, in addition to directing and producing for many of Philadelphia’s major theater institutions, including Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Wilma Theater, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and the Painted Bride Performing Arts Center. Bang-Jensen is a recipient of a 2019 Map Fund Award, a Next Stage Director’s Fellowship from the Drama League (2019), a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, and a Frank 5 Fellowship for the Aydelotte Foundation.

Before the show, attendees can also enjoy scratch cooking and theatrical sensibilities in the theatre’s onsite restaurant, The Fern & Fable. Quality, artistry, and unique experiences are top of mind at the restaurant. Located steps away from the Leonard C. Haas Stage, The Fern & Fable occupies three rooms of a 1700s farmhouse, complete with two working fireplaces and historic quirks. Reservations can be made through OpenTable here.

Learn more at People’s Light.