Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) will present a sumptuous production of A Christmas Carol – The Story of Scrooge at Artscape over the holiday season. The production will run from 14 to 24 December 2019.
This special Dickens treat for all ages, is a timeless classic story of the triumph of joy and the human spirit over greed. An enchanting dance delight, A Christmas Carol – The Story of Scrooge has been restaged by South African dance doyenne Veronica Paeper and features lighting design by Wilhem Disbergen. The production was created in 1982 and has not been seen for over 20 years.
On Christmas Eve the elderly and unpleasant old man Ebenezer Scrooge is paid a visit by the Ghost of his dead business partner Joseph Marley, who tells him that three Spirits will call on Scrooge: The Spirit of Christmas Past, The Spirit of Christmas Present and the Spirit of Christmas Future. Marley tells Scrooge that unless he listens well and changes his miserly ways he will be forever condemned to be in chains of damnation. This is the story of that night.
Visual feast
The role of Ebenezer Scrooge will be played by highly regarded performer Marcel Meyer. This is his first role in a professional ballet, since playing Doctor Coppelius in a student production of Coppélia at the Breytenbach Theatre in Pretoria. Meyer has played leading roles in several plays by Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams to acclaim on stages across South Africa, Europe and the USA. Most recently seen in the much lauded production of The Glass Menagerie at Artscape, his many accolades include seven Fleur du Cap nominations for Best Costume design, winning the 2011 award for Richard III, the 2019 Naledi Award for Best Costume Design for Macbeth, St. Louis Theatre Circle Awards nominations for Best Set and Best Costume Design for Tennessee Williams’ Stairs to the Roof and the 2019 Best Actor Naledi nomination for his performance in Macbeth.
“We are excited to be presenting this visual feast of a production that will captivate young and old alike,” says Debbie Turner, CEO of Cape Town City Ballet. ”We are honoured to be working with Veronica Paeper again, who is revisiting and reimagining her choreography for this new production and for the Theatre stage.”
“One of the highlights for this production will be the inclusion of 23 of Cape Town’s young dancers, who will join the 40 members of Cape Town City Ballet. The Company was delighted by the talent and enthusiasm of these local future stars and looks forward to sharing the stage with them,” says Turner.
What: A Christmas Carol – The Story of Scrooge
Where and when: Artscape from 14 to 24 December 2019
Tickets: Computicket
WS
