The second show of Ensemble Theatre Company’s (ETC) 2022-23 season will be a new take on the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol,” written by Charles Dickens, adapted by Patrick Barlow, and directed by Jamie Torcellini.
Previews for “A Christmas Carol” begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1. The show opens at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 18 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara.
Barlow, writer of the Broadway and West End hit “The 39 Steps,” has refashioned Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” into a comic holiday story filled with humor and heart. Under the direction of Torcellini, five actors bring Dickens’ array of beloved characters to life.
Torcellini has directed “The 39 Steps,” and “Tell Me on a Sunday,” and starred in “The Mystery of Irma Vep” and “School for Lies.” Torcellini has performed in Broadway shows including “CATS,” “Little Johnny Jones,” “Me and My Girl,” “Jerome Robbins Broadway,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and the original company of “Billy Elliot.”
Regional credits include “Drag – The Musical,” ” Hamlet,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Spamalot.”
Torcellini assisted on both of the “Stuart Little” films starring Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie; and has been a teacher of musical theater and tap, comedy improv, and for two years toured internationally as a backup singer/dancer for Liza Minnelli.
The cast of “A Christmas Carol” features:
Mark Capri (Scrooge), who starred locally in “My Fair Lady,” “Camelot,” and “The Triumph of Love” at the Santa Barbara CLO or the Granada Theatre; Jenna Cardia (in a variety of roles), who last starred in ETC’s musical adaptation of “Emma;” Regina Fernandez, making her ETC debut; Bo Foxworth, who was in ETC’s 2014 production of “Amadeus;” and Louis Lotorto, who has appeared in six ETC productions including “The 39 Step,” “Amadeus” and “Buried Child.”
Scenic design is by Stephen Gifford; lighting design by Helena Kuukka; sound design by Randall Robert Tico; costume design by Marcy Froehlich; and properties design by Kevin Williams. Casting is by Michael Donovan, Anna Jensen is the dramaturg, and Jessica Haro is the production stage manager.
“A Christmas Carol” is made possible through ETC’s 2022-23 Season Sponsor Dana White, with additional sponsorship from Gwen and Henry Baker, Mercedes Millington and John C. Mithun, and Montecito Bank & Trust.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; with added performances at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6; and 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.
Ticket prices range from $40-$84. Single tickets are available through the ETC box office at 805-965-5400, or online at etcsb.org. Prices subject to change.