New set to light up ‘A Christmas Carol’

BANGOR – Penobscot Theatre Company-Maine Shakespeare Festival concludes its 2002 season with “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, adapted and directed by the producing artistic director, Mark Torres.

The holiday favorite runs Dec. 11-23 at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. in downtown Bangor. PTC-MSF will also offer a Pay-What-You-Wish performance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. An American Sign Language-interpreted performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 14.

For those who have attended “A Christmas Carol” in past seasons, the magic remains, and this year a brand new set will light up the stage. First-time audience members can expect a 90-minute, family-friendly performance full of classic holiday songs and festive dancing.

“For years we have used Dickens’ original language to preserve the literary value and enrich the timeless message of this wonderful holiday story,” explained director Mark Torres.

Ken Stack, artistic director for Acadia Repertory Theatre on Mt. Desert Island, returns this year to play the role of Scrooge. The production will mark Stack’s 20th appearance in “A Christmas Carol.” He first played Scrooge in 1979 for the Wayside Theatre in Virginia.

The cast of “A Christmas Carol” is completed by Adam Kuykendall as Bob Cratchitt, and Rebecca Bailey, Kristopher Bears, James Bocock, Amy Cain, Joshua Copeland, Tina Cote, Rich Kimball, Amanda Mooney, Lisa Pearson, Dominick Varney, Jeremy Vroom, Mike Worboys and Megan Yardley.

Dates, times and tickets for all of PTC-MSF’s productions may be obtained by calling 942-3333 or visiting the box office at the Bangor Opera House at 131 Main St., noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. In addition, the box office is open one hour prior to scheduled performances.

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, students, educators, seniors, military personnel and children under 12.

PTC-MSF’s 2003 season will feature “Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward, March 5-16; “Angel Street” by Patrick Hamilton, April 2-13; “I Hate Hamlet” by Paul Rudnick, May 7-18; “Macbeth” and “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, “The Fantasticks” by Schmidt and Jones, and “Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll” in repertory July 5-Aug. 16; “Moon Over Buffalo” by Ken Ludwig, Oct. 1-12; “The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson, Nov. 5-16; and “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 17-23.