A heart-warming and joyous journey through a familiar, festive and spirited time, Melbourne Theatre Company presents a laugh-out-loud retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic tale, A Very Jewish Christmas Carol at the Southbank Theatre – The Sumner.
Local baker Ely is not letting anything get in the way of fulfilling customer demand for her Bubi’s famous Polish gingerbread. Not her family’s impending Chrismukkah celebrations, not the imminent birth of her child and definitely not the ghosts who’ve suddenly shown up in her kitchen. But the reindeer of Chrismukkah Past, Gingerbread Golem and Lilith Claus have other ideas…
A joyous retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic tale drawn from the writers’ own backgrounds and starring Natalie Gamsu, Miriam Glaser, Emma Jevons, Evelyn Krape, Jude Perl, Louise Siversen and Michael Whalley, A Very Jewish Christmas Carol is a celebration of life – with a sprinkle of time-travelling ghosts, overbearing relatives and a life lesson or two.
“We love a fresh take on an old classic, and this riotous spin on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol directed by Sarah Giles makes an excellent case for why. Time-travelling ghosts, original songs and gingerbread in various shapes and sizes is only the beginning,” said MTC Artistic Director & Co-CEO, Anne-Louise Sarks.
“The commitment to championing Australian writers and providing a platform for new work is one of our core tenets are Melbourne Theatre Company, and this heartfelt and charming script by Elise Esther Hearst with Phillip Kavanagh has been supported by our ambitious NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program.”
Director: Sarah Giles | Featuring: Natalie Gamsu, Miriam Glaser, Emma Jevons, Evelyn Krape, Jude Perl, Louise Siversen, Michael Whalley | Associate Director: Cassandra Fumi | Musical Director / Arranger: Jude Perl | Set Designer: Jacob Battista | Costume Designer: Dann Barber | Lighting Designer: Richard Vabre | Composer & Sound Designer: Jed Palmer | Design Concept Contributor: Jonathon Oxlade | Additional Composition: Jude Perl | Voice & Text Coach: Matt Furlani | Fight Choreographer: Lyndall Grant | Intimacy Coordinator: Cessalee Stovall | Polish Translation & Language Coach: Krystyna Duszniak | Yiddish Translation: Rebecca (Rivke) Margolis | Yiddish Language Coach & Song Translation: Freydi Mrocki | Stage Manager: Whitney McNamara | Deputy Stage Manager: Meg Richardson | Assistant Stage Manager: Brittany Stock | Directing Intern (VCA): Kathryn Yates | Set Design Intern (VCA): Ishan Vivekanantham | Costume Design Intern (VCA): Louisa Fitzgerald
A Very Jewish Christmas Carol
Southbank Theatre – The Sumner, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season: 18 November – 16 December 2023
Information and Bookings: www.mtc.com.au
Image: Evelyn Krape stars in A Very Jewish Christmas Carol – photo by Jo Duck