A Christmas  Carol The Musical

 

 

A  Christmas Carol – The Musical will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from the 22nd - 23rd and 27th - 30th of November at 7.30 p.m.

 

It also commemorates the 24th anniversary of CentreStage Productions and the 30th anniversary of its visionary founder, Jehan Aloysius, as a director. 

 

We had a chat with Jehan Aloysius, The Founder/ Artistic Director of   CentreStage Productions who is also the Writer/ Composer / Director of  A  Christmas Carol –  The Musical.      

 

 

Three years ago, almost to the date, I wanted to create a new family musical to add to my drama group, CentreStage Productions’ repertoire of original plays and adaptations. I also wanted to create a show for my mom, Carol, who was born close to Christmas- and her 80th Birthday was being celebrated. Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ seemed the obvious choice. It is a lovely story of redemption, forgiveness and embodies the spirit of generosity and kindness to all. I decided to make it a musical, since I love creating new musical theatre works and wrote a couple of dozen songs and musical scenes for the show over the last few years.

 

 

The show will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from the 22nd - 23rd and 27th - 30th of November at 7.30 p.m. The show runs for around 2 hours with an intermission, so it is great for families, church groups, schools and choirs.

 

 

I spent months researching Dickens’s novella, as well as the era it was written in. I feel that Dickens and I had similar impulses. There are many themes that resonate with my own childhood and past. As with all my adaptations - whether it is Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky or, now, Dickens – I have always considered the process of adaptation as a ‘collaration’ with the original writer. Though they may be long dead, their original impulses, themes and intentions are always within their works. I enjoy discovering these and adding my own inspirations to the mix. I have expanded many character arcs and themes in my musical. For example the relationship that Young Scrooge has in the past with his fiancée, Belle, is given a beautiful and substantial romantic arc in my show. Similarly, since I have done a great deal of work with the disabled communities in Sri Lanka, those themes too are expanded in my show. Also, my version is a musical, with powerful ballads, duets and ensemble choruses, all of which really allow the characters to ‘speak’ or have a greater voice than the Dickens original.

 

 

 

We have a range of talented actors in this cast. I carefully selected them over many months, since just 23 performers play over 90 different roles. I am thrilled to return to musical theatre to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge- the much-reviled villain who is ultimately redeemed. We also have well- known names from the English Language theatre such as Sean Amarasekere, Arjuna Wignaraja, Dion Nanayakkara and Joanne Aloysius Rajiyah as well as newcomers such as Chaitanya Perera, Rachel Hettiarachchi and others who play the lead roles. What is exciting is that all of the leads play dual roles, which is a fantastic challenge for the actors. The rehearsals have been quite a master class in characterisation for all. We also have many talented child actors too such as Arali Peiris and Kevin Lawson who are great soloists. I really hope the show will be appreciated for the effort of our amazing cast of leads and ensemble. The dancing, singing and acting workshops over the last few months have really elevated their skills and performances.

 

 

As the writer, lyricist and composer, I have worn many hats in the creation of this shows music. The style of singing and musical arrangements are decidedly more traditional and orchestral rather than pop or rock music. I believe the more symphonic sound that has been achieved will keep the musical evergreen and relevant in future stagings over the years and decades. That is the legacy we hope this show can achieve.

 

 

This is my 30th anniversary as a director and my drama group’s 24th anniversary as well. I am so glad that this spectacular show will commemorate this dual milestone for me. CentreStage Productions and my various humanitarian theatre projects have contributed to many ground-breaking developments and achievements in the theatre scene in Sri Lanka and South Asia. We have been constantly representing Sri Lankan theatre at international theatre festivals around the globe since 2002, including Asia’s Largest Theatre Festival and the Theatre Olympics. Our plays have been studied both locally and overseas and my scripts have been shortlisted three times and longlisted twice for Sri Lanka’s more recognised literary award, the Gratiaen Prize. Through our StageHands Project we have done free workshops, and Productions around Sri Lanka after the Tsunami, as well as disability arts production and ballets with injured soldiers and the deaf community in Sri Lanka. Also, our Power of One youth project has, over the decades, offered theatre based solutions for the issue of bullying and ragging in schools and universities. Our most recent project is  ‘CentreStage Spotlight’ - which is part of the Youth Mentorship Programme initiated in 2023, which provides a platform for youth performers and directors.

 

 

We are thrilled to have the support of Cargills as the exclusive partner for this very special show. Cargills have been true patrons of the arts in Sri Lanka. We would never have been able to stage this show without their support. We are also grateful for YES FM,  Daily Mirror, Sunday Times and HI Online for being our Media partners.