Bah! Humbug! Theatre Downtown’s ‘Carol’ canceled

Christmas will unfortunately be a little more blue for Central Floridians who still miss Theatre Downtown: A production of the venerable theater’s “A Christmas Carol” that was announced over the summer has been canceled.

Theater West End, which was to have hosted the production for several weeks in December, announced the “regretful” cancellation.

“Despite best efforts to continue the production, the Hilgenbergs and Theater West End have canceled the production due to unforeseen personal health concerns,” the announcement stated.

Frank and Fran Hilgenberg, who ran Theatre Downtown until it closed in early 2015, were spearheading the “Christmas Carol” production.

Theatre West End, which opened this fall in downtown Sanford, and the Hilgenbergs said they hope to mount the production in 2019 instead.

Based on the beloved Charles Dickens story, “A Christmas Carol” had become a holiday mainstay for Theatre Downtown, where it was presented for more than a decade. Even after the theater closed, fans clamored for its return — and in 2015, a production was hosted by the CFCArts theater north of downtown.

Ticket holders should contact Theater West End, at info@theaterwestend.com or 407-548-6285, for a refund or exchange. The theater will present youth productions of “AnnieKIDS” on Dec. 15-16 and the school edition of “Rent” on Dec. 22-23.

Tim DeBaun was to have played Ebenezer Scrooge in a now-canceled Theatre Downtown production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”