The Wayne Theatre Alliance’s Gateway will bring The Concise Dickens’ Christmas Carol as part of WTA’s holiday entertainment. The seasonal favorite of Hampton Roads’ audiences will be presented on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. each night.
The acting troupe of Ebenezer Scrooge and Co. — in the single person of actor/writer D.D. Delaney, who plays 22 roles — will appear in Mr. Delaney’s critically acclaimed adaptation of the beloved Charles Dickens’ tale, A Christmas Carol. Delaney adapted the original novella for its first performance Norfolk’s 40th Street Stage in 2006. It continued at that venue through 2008 when the theater closed. In 2009, it was revived by The Norfolk’s Venue on 35th and continues its annual public performance.
Delaney also performs The Concise Dickens’ Christmas Carol at private venues, including retirement facilities, churches, historical societies, and parties. “It’s very adaptable,” he says, “and can be shrunk to play in a living room or expanded to encompass a social hall. The main thing is the story. And, of course, the wonderful array of Dickens characters.”
When asked why a “concise” Christmas Carol, Delaney said, “Dickens’ story is about one old man’s journey through his own darkness of fear and greed to an awakening of how much happier he could be if he opened his heart to other people. I felt that too many stage productions and films I’ve seen and participated in lose that simple message in their attempts to make a longer entertainment than is necessary for a modern audience. Even the novella is too wordy!”
Patti Wray, producer at Norfolk’s The Venue on 35th said, “I never tire of the story because Delaney’s amazing performance always engages and enchants me from start to finish.”
Advanced tickets for The Concise Dickens’ Christmas Carol are available for $5 for children under 12 and $10 for adults. Remaining tickets will be available at the box office at $6 for children and $12 for adults on the night of the performance.
To make reservations go to www.wtagateway.com or call 943-9999.
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Chris Graham
