"A Christmas Carol"- Solo Show 

"It took me a bit longer to exit the school yesterday as teachers and students were so thrilled to share their excitement with me over your performance.

You and Jim outdid yourselves with the show . You captured the hearts and imaginations of all in attendance yesterday . I believe the true spirit of Christmas was alive, well and overflowing and I Thank you very much."

Lisa Avigliano, St. Vincent Martyr School, Madison NJ 

"We were very happily inundated with praise for your show! "  

Christie Chumney, Librarian New Canaan Library. 

 

"Everyone who attended absolutely loved your performance!"

Cynthia Gwiazda, Community Services Librarian

Hagaman Memorial Library

How could I top a smash run of my solo show, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?” Do another one! “A Christmas Carol!”  My first reaction to this suggestion made by my accompanist Jim Keyes?  Bah, Humbug!  
 
Dickens’ December masterpiece, I explained, runs over twice as long as Irving’s October classic.  Dare I reduce Scrooge, Cratchit and Tiny Tim to cartoon caricatures? A fan then reminded me. “ A Christmas Carol”  is the perfect tale of hope and redemption. I could transform this ghostly tale of into a unique dramatic retelling. Thus, my solo show of “A Christmas Carol” began in 2011 at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow.  
 
Every year a run of twenty shows for Historic Hudson Valley sells out.  Jim Keyes has accompanied me at many venues including; the Union County Performing Arts Center, Rahway, NJ, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA, and at the Tompkins Corner Cultural Center, Putnam Valley, NY, The show has filled libraries in Glens Falls, NY, New Canaan and East Haven, CT. It enchants many school audiences too.  This year, students in Birmingham Michigan will enjoy this unique performance. 
 
The show runs one animated hour.  Using treasure trove of voices to create over thirty characters, Jonathan’s “A Christmas Carol”  is immediate, intimate, and imaginative.  Some have said I'm “an elegant Robin Williams.”

 

Performing in period garb, the story emerges as a lively dialogue, with characters created by concise gesture and expressions.  Transforming into  Ebenezer, Bob and Marley, I bring out Dickens' eloquence with crisp dictation and a quick cadence.  This is not scripted piece told from memory.  This is an audience inspired blend of theater and storytelling.  It is filled with Dickens’ original quotes but alive with spontaneity humor and pathos.  
 
Children find all the character voices and movement especially compelling. The performance meets common core calls for listening skills, reacting to literature and understanding. Please ask for a school guide. 
 
Jim Keyes provides far more than background music.  He blends traditional Christmas carols noted in the story with original ambient motifs.  Further, he provides an amazing range of sound effects gleaned from a pipe organ, violin, harp, bells and a rusty chain.  Jim also sets the stage with a spirited sing-along.