Alley offers virtual ‘Christmas Carol’ as gift to audiences
While the Alley Theatre has canceled its in-person production of “A Christmas Carol” — another show shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic — it plans to present a digital production of the show, a free virtual performance, as a holiday gift to Houston.
“All of us at the Alley are longing to gather with you again in the theater, especially during the holidays when togetherness and the family tradition of hearing (Charles) Dickens’ story of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is such an important part of how we celebrate,” artistic director Rob Melrose said. “At the same time, I’m very excited about the innovative way we’ve figured out to bring this heartwarming story of hope and redemption to each and every Houstonian free of charge this holiday season.”
Viewers interested in seeing the production can register at alleytheatre.org. “A Christmas Carol” will be available free for viewing Dec. 4-27. The show is being underwritten by sponsor ConocoPhillips.
“A Christmas Carol” has been an Alley cornerstone for years, drawing thousands of fans annually with a month of shows.
This year’s “Carol” marks a new direction for the Alley’s holiday tradition. For years, the Alley has produced “A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas,” an adaptation of Dickens’ classic story by writer and director MichaelWilson. This year’s production is adapted by playwright Doris Baizley.
Alley associate producer BrandonWeinbrenner will direct, though the direction will be different than he’d anticipated. Each of the show’s actors will be filmed at their homes.
Melrose hopes the virtual presentation will “bring a sense of our usual celebrations during these unusual times.”
“A Christmas Carol” finds the Alley in flux as the company has presented more than 50 years of theater. Melrose has called the Alley’s 2020-2021 season “small but mighty,” as the theater heads toward a new year with great uncertainty about how it can fill its seats during a pandemic. The Alley is offering “flex subscription packages” that include vouchers for any Alley subscription show. Those packages can include “A Christmas Carol.”
Jan. 22: The Alley plans to open “Explore the Season,” with Melrose directing Liz Duffy Adams’ play about authoritarianism and paranoia.
March 5: The theater presents Samuel Beckett’s modern classic “Waiting for Godot.”
April 16: Sarah Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” is scheduled to open, followed by Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat,” also directed by Melrose.
July 9: Houston native Tiffany Nichole Greene will direct Vichet Chum’s “High School Play: A Nostalgia,” which will open in the summer. The play is set in Carrollton about a competitive theater troupe trying to rebound from a competition loss — a play that feels allegorical as arts organizations try to find their way back from a year largely spent dark.