There are a lot of Christmas traditions in the county, from ice skating at Winterfest to touring the Christmas Caves of Minford. There are also many performance cornerstones in the art community, one of which is the seasonal Christmas show at Portsmouth Little Theatre (PLT).

The venue has been working hard to bring a classic to life with a twist, with their current production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.

According to Director Trevor McCormick, the story follows the original that has been on the PLT stage many times, but from a completely different perspective.

“The difference between this script and the traditional story is that we don’t see the events from Scrooge’s perspective. We actually see the events unfold in the vision of Jacob Marley. We also come to see how the spirits of Past, Present, and Future come alive within the story,” McCormick said.

McCormick, a trained theatre veteran, likes the script and is ready for the story to be told.

“The script is very engaging. It is a story script, so a lot of the dialogue spoken is used to describe the setting and emotions of the characters to the audience, so they can come up with their own envision of the story,” McCormick explained. “It is, actually, a very artistic and creative way to tell a story and is very beautiful.”

According to McCormick, the show is moving along better than usual.

“The cast is coming along well and taking to the script. We have some newcomers to PLT who have thoroughly surprised all of us and some returnees who are killing everything they do,” McCormick claimed. “It is an interesting way to allow actors to act, but they’re taking to it very well.”

Opening night can’t come soon enough for the director, who says the show is coming along well, thanks to the talent.

“Oh, I am ecstatic for opening night. I’ve never been more prepared for a show like I have with this one, and it wouldn’t be possible without the amazing cast we have, as well as Eva Martin, our assistant director,” McCormick said. “We would not be as prepared for this show if not for all of them.”

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol will take the Portsmouth Little Theatre stage, 1117 Lawson Street, on December 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for students and seniors and $18 for adults. Tickets are available at the door, but the theatre expressed concerns about selling out, due to Christmas show popularity, and recommend visiting pltlive.com to buy ahead online.

“I think audiences will get the same campy Christmas story that comes with Christmas Carol, but, this time, they’re going to be surprised by how the events unfold. In the original Christmas story, we don’t actually see how the ghosts come alive, or who controls the ghosts, but, in this one, we get to see these things.”

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.