Ebenezer Scrooge sure has a knack for lifting spirits this time of year. In keeping with tradition, he's back to dismiss good will toward men as so much humbuggery before finally realizing the true meaning of Christmas (being visited by three ghosts will do that to you). Like Wise Men and Santa Claus, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is de rigueur for the holiday season. The tale in all its 19th-century Victorian splendor comes to life courtesy of the Nebraska Theatre Caravan, which has been producing the Charles Jones stage adaptation of the classic, replete with song and dance, since 1979. You know the story by heart, so no need to recap it here. Suffice it to say, it'll warm your heart right up to the moment Tiny Tim exclaims, "God bless us, every one!" Fri., Dec. 23, 2 and 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall,1111 N. McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater, $25-$36, 727-791-7400, rutheckerdhall.com.
This article appears in Dec 20-26, 2006.