It’s been 166 years since Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol. But there’s considerable local history to be totaled up as the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park presents its annual holiday production for Tristate audiences for the 19th consecutive year this Dec. 3-30.
Dickens’ book was an instant success in 1843, priced at just five shillings. Today the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s Christmas Eve redemption is not only a holiday staple, it’s the financial savior of theaters across the United States. There’s scarcely a regional theater in America that doesn’t benefit from a version of Scrooge and his ghosts, generating revenue that supports the balance of the season. The Playhouse’s version, written by Howard Dallin, is one of the best.
Tickets today are a bit more than five shillings — $25 to $67 depending on the date and seat location — but that hasn't affected attendance. Through 18 seasons, since 1991, there have been 692 performances with a total attendance of 411,986, which is an astounding 95 percent of the Marx Theatre’s seats. With another 35 performances scheduled for 2009, that number will again grow.
Read more about A Christmas Carol and get showtimes and tickets here.
