It is a holiday tradition to go Uptown in Athens and see the Christmas tree lighting, say, “Hi” to Santa Claus as he greets the children and take a carriage ride along the bricks.
The Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble is adding to that list of Athens Christmas traditions with its yearly production of An Appalachian Christmas Carol.
This is the third year the professional theater group is producing the twist on the old Charles Dickens classic. The troupe will perform the show Wednesday through Sunday at Stuart’s Opera House, 52 Public Square, Nelsonville.
In the show, Eb Scrooge owns the local coal mine, Bob Cratchit helps organize the mineworkers and Fezziwig’s holiday party is set in Stuart’s Opera House.
The show first opened in 2012 but was expanded greatly in 2013 with the addition of more music, live local music on stage and more performances. Merri Biechler, the playwright and managing director of BMTE, said the show is basically complete after three years of development.
“It feels like this is basically the production we will continue to do,” she said. “It’s pretty much the same show as last year. Our amazing musical director Daniel Dennis added so much to the performance the second year.”
Biechler said the audience’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned.
“(The audience) has just been really supportive and wonderful,” she said. “People have come multiple times. It’s really exciting to be supported like that.”
Traditionally, this is BMTE’s only full production each year.
Biechler said this adaptation resonates because it hits close to home.
“I think that it’s not often that our region of the country has a story that they can call their own about our history that is told with respect and with humor and with compassion,” she said.
“Somehow or other, our people can still be the punch line of a joke, but there are so many hard working people in this region who come from mining traditions, and that’s what we wanted to celebrate.”
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