Is there a better tale to be told by a seasoned actor than Charles Dickens’ worldwide phenomenon, A Christmas Carol? Books of the Bible and other classic texts have certainly been adapted for a single actor, but Dickens himself was known to take his festive and spooky story out into the parlors a nd playhouses to regale audiences with his written word come to life by the author. In that tradition, local actor Paul Morella first adapted A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas 16 years ago. Morella himself brought the characters to life for many years. Since last season, Michael Russotto, another notable actor from the DMV, has taken up the mantle of storyteller and the dozens of characters featured in the classic story of redemption and yuletide cheer. Michael Russotto in ‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas’ at Olney Theatre Center. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. Regional audiences certainly know Russotto from appearances at Olney, Theatre J, and his Helen Hayes Award–winning turn as Chauncy Miles in The Nance at 1st Stage, just to name a few of his numerous credits. This is his second year performing as Scrooge and company, and the text is in expert hands. Entering the intimate Theatre Lab, one is immediately struck by the cozy and lived-in setting: a Victorian parlor, jam-packed with furniture, decorative art, and props. Once the show begins, Russotto, as the storyteller, makes the stage his own, imbuing the setting with warmth even as the tale’s more supernatural and sensational elements unfold. Beginning with a literal thunderclap and lightning, Russotto appears as if from thin air in a swirl of fog, setting the scene for the ghost story ahead. Patrick W. Lord’s projection designs work in tandem with Sonya Dowhaluk’s atmospheric lighting to help take the storyteller from the comfortable parlor to the dark recesses of Dickensian London. The effects are simple yet highly effective, as is the combination of Edward Moser‘s original sound design and Justin Schmitz‘s remounted soundscape. Distant crowd sounds, laughter, the streets of London, wind, and evocative music punctuate Russotto’s performance, lending an authentic theatrical flavor to the intimate evening. Russotto makes Dickens’ text as fresh and alive as if the actor were spinning the tale for the first time. His storyteller — think a Victorian version of himself — is affable and full of wonder as he shares the story and the myriad characters. As he takes on role after role, with a change of posture, a higher vocal register, a different British dialect, highborn or low, Russotto is like an illusionist — the audience sees each character. Russotto’s vocal changes are matched by his nimble feet, as he darts about, dances, and uses the space to help not only tell the oft-told story but paint the picture of each stave of the Christmas carol, as Dickens organized the prose.  Bringing to life 51 characters and breathing new life into the story also highlights the universality of the redemptive tale. In a world where immigrants and homeless people can be demonized, where the gap between the haves and have-nots is greater than ever before, the story of that “grasping old miser” Ebenezer Scrooge, who has to have four ghostly visitors to shake him into opening his heart and pocketbook, is as timely today as any headline. More than once, this reviewer thought about who might need the Spirit of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come to enter their chambers this Christmas Eve for a much-needed epiphany and change of heart. No matter who does or doesn’t need spirits to take them on a journey of self-discovery, audiences have until December 28 to catch Russotto and his cast of characters work their theater magic on the Olney stage. It’s well worth the trip. Dickens’ own preface to A Christmas Carol, dated December 1843, reads: “I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.” Dear Charles, over the intervening years, your “Ghost of an Idea” has haunted our houses and our theaters most pleasantly. Thank you. Running time: Two hours, with one intermission. A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas plays through December 28, 2025, presented by Olney Theatre Center, in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD. Regular performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 PM, matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. There are special performances on Tuesday, December 23, at 7:30 PM; Wednesday, December 24, at 2 PM; and Friday, December 26, at 2 PM. Tickets ($52–$91) may be purchased online, by calling 301.924.3400, or through TodayTix. Discounts for groups, seniors, teachers, active military, first responders, and students are available here. A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of ChristmasConceived, Adapted, and Originally Staged by Paul MorellaFrom the novella by Charles DickensFeaturing Michael RussottoRemounting Director: Hallie Gordon Buy Tickets Discount Tickets The post ‘A Christmas Carol’ told as a ghost story in Olney’s intimate Theatre Lab appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less