County Theatre Group stages “A Christmas Carol” at the Regent

Show sponsors were treated to a sneak peek performance of A Christmas Carol, during a thank the sponsor event Thursday. The County Theatre Group’s will present the show Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 P.M. Here, John McCarthy as Ebenezer Scrooge, Barrie Atkinson as Bob Cratchit and Fred Lester as Scrooge’s nephew, perform a scene from the play.

Some members of A Christmas Carol cast and crew are fuelled with coffee, muffins and cookies from The Regent Cafe.

In celebration of Charles Dickens’200th birthday, The County Theatre Group returns to Picton’s Regent Theatre with the novelist’s classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

The Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation features innovative theatrical staging and a cast of 38 County actors  led by John McCarthy in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

“What better way to start the holiday season than to see a live performance of this masterpiece at the historic Regent Theatre,” says Carol Rutledge, the show’s co-producer with Anne Ritchie. “The County Theatre Group, sincerely hopes the community will enjoy our gift to them through the experience of Charles Dickens’ timeless tale.”

Director John Burns reviewed several adaptations of the fabled tale before choosing the adaptation by renowned British playwright John Mortimer that was create for Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company.

“Mortimer settled on a brilliant, deceptively simple and elegant solution,” said Burns. “Rather than adapt much of the text, he would simply lift it verbatim from the book and have it spoken by a chorus of actors. it is literally impossible to improve on the actual words that Dickens wrote. He is a master wordsmith in the order of Shakespeare himself. Some of the descriptive passages in this play are breathtaking in their power.”

The County Theatre Group thanked its show sponsors at a gathering Thursday morning with a sneak peek of the performance.

“We are eternally grateful to our sponsors for helping bring this wonderful show to the stage,” said Burns.

Huff Estates Winery is on board as the show’s Marquee sponsor; Elizabeth Crombie of Royal LePage is Buy The House sponsor; Norah Rogers is the show’s Opening Night sponsor, Lori Slik the show’s Family Matinee sponsor and Colleen Green and Christine Henden, of ReMax, are the show’s Closing Night sponsors.

Burns returns to directing for the seventh time, assisted by Phil Dowling on lighting; Colleen Johnson on design and overall look of the play; and Fred Lester, constructing the set and props. At the sponsor event at The Regent Theatre, cast and crew were fuelled by coffee, muffins and cookies from The Regent Cafe.

The County Theatre Group presents “A Christmas Carol” at The Regent Theatre in Picton on Friday, December 7 at 7:30 pm, Saturday December 8 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 at the Regent Theatre Box Office, at the door, or by calling 613-476-8416, ext. 28. For Saturday’s matinee, an adult ticket purchase includes two children’s tickets free of charge.