The Off-Broadway bow of Jack Thorne's A Christmas Carol officially opened at the Perelman Performing Arts Center December 4, and the reviews are rolling in. The return run began performances November 23, and the already extended engagement is set to continue through January 4, 2026.
The production, directed by Matthew Warchus, comes back to New York after years of annual holiday presentations at London's Old Vic Theatre and a 2019 Broadway run. The production has collected money for non-profits focused on food insecurity since its premiere in 2017, carrying on the legacy Dickens intended with the story of A Christmas Carol. Funds raised during PAC NYC's run go to River Fund, which supports low-income families.
The company is being led by Tony winner Michael Cerveris (Tammy Faye) as Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside George Abud (Lempicka) as Fred, Maxim Chlumecky (Appropriate) as Young Ebenezer, Dashiell Eaves (Dead Outlaw) as Bob Cratchit, Chris Hoch (Jagged Little Pill) as Father and Marley, Julia Knitel (Dead Outlaw) as Belle, Crystal Lucas-Perry (1776) as The Ghost of Christmas Present and Mrs. Fezziwig, Micah Fay Lupin as Tiny Tim, Ashlyn Maddox (The Four Seasons) as Little Fan, Madalynn Mathews (Galileo) as Jess, Nancy Opel (Urinetown) as Ghost of Christmas Past, Dan Piering (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Ferdy and George, Izzy Elena Rita (Sesame Street) as Tiny Tim, Rashidra Scott (Company) as Mrs. Cratchit, Teddy Trice (Goddess) as Nicholas, and Paul Whitty (The Great Gatsby) as Fezziwig. Understudies Dario Esteban Alvarez and Celia Mei Rubin round out the company.
Read the reviews below.
New York Stage Review (Michael Sommers)
New York Theatre Guide (Austin Fimmano)
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The play, written by Thorne and conceived and directed by Warchus, premiered at London's Old Vic (where Warchus is artistic director) in 2017, and has been presented there annually since. A Broadway run came in 2019, with Tony-winning Broadway favorites LaChanze and Andrea Martin in the cast. The holiday run became an unlikely five-time Tony winner at the meager, pandemic-affected 2020 ceremony, sweeping the Design of a Play categories and also taking Best Original Score. Producers had planned to make a holiday Broadway run an annual tradition, but only a 2021 U.S. tour has happened so far.
This latest run—co-directed by Thomas Caruso—is more immersive than previous stagings. At its London home, the play is presented with a partial thrust stage coming into the audience area, which was not repeated for the Broadway bow. PAC NYC's mounting has used its reconfigurable space to place seating on three sides of the stage for the first time in New York.
The holiday presentation features the same Tony-winning design team from the Broadway production: sets and costumes by Rob Howell, music and arrangements by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, and sound by Simon Baker. Movement is by Lizzi Gee.
Visit PACNYC.org.
