By Ryan Leeds
Countless actors have assumed the epochal role of Ebenezer Scrooge in various film, television, and stage versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While many have done so with excellence, few have come close to handling this challenge with more grounded realism than two-time Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris.
Cerveris heads a top-notch cast in PAC NYC’s flawless production of the classic tale. Originally produced at London’s Old Vic, it features a book by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and direction by Mathew Warchus. Avid theatergoers may recall that this same production played Broadway in 2019, winning five Tony Awards. For those who missed it, or want to relive it, the production is back on the boards, this time staged in the round.
Warchus immediately draws us into Dickens’ 19th-century setting with his cast dressed in costume designer Rob Howell’s Victorian garments, singing and dancing to Christopher Nightingale’s beautiful arrangements of traditional Christmas selections. Although it’s not a musical, the arrangements underscore the entire show, adding cinematic flair. Hugh Vanstone’s gothic lighting and Warchus’ frequent employment of dry ice also enhance the tale.
Too often, holiday classics can become overly sentimental, but thanks to a well-written book, smart direction, and authentic performances, A Christmas Carol remains genuinely charming and deeply moving.
In the spirit of the season, at each performance, the cast solicits donations for River Fund, a nonprofit that helps New York families in poverty.
It’s impossible not to waltz from the theatre with the feeling that the state of humanity isn’t so terrible after all. As Scrooge’s nephew Fred (George Abud) says, “Christmas-time is a good time, a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time and the only time I know of when men and women open their shut-up hearts freely and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave.”
5 out of 5 stars
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Fast facts: ‘A Christmas Carol’
Michael Cerveris delivers a grounded, brilliant performance in this deeply moving production that proves A Christmas Carol still has something urgent to say about humanity.
- Perelman Performing Arts Center, 6 WTC, 251 Fulton Street, New York City
- Running time: Two hours with one intermission
- Performances through January 4, 2026
