Hope Mill Theatre’s new production of the musical version of a Christmas Carol to run at The Lowry, Salford for a 2024/2025 festive season

Hope Mill Theatre is to stage a new production of the magical musical version of A Christmas Carol at The Lowry, Salford for the 2024/25 festive season, it is announced today.

Following their critically acclaimed production of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella in 2022, Hope Mill co-founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton will reunite to co-direct a new version of A Christmas Carol, with Whelton also choreographing.

As part of Hope Mill Theatre’s future development the venue is expanding their operations to produce its award-winning musicals on a larger scale in other venues and A Christmas Carol will run in The Lowry’s Quays Theatre from Friday 6^th December 2024 to Saturday 4^th January 2025.

Based on Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella of the same name, A Christmas Carol has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens. It was a New York festive staple from 1994 to 2003 where it was presented annually at The Theater At Madison Square Garden and in 2004 it was adapted for television by Hallmark Entertainment for NBC starring Kelsey Grammer as Ebeneezer Scrooge.

The classic Dickens story comes to life with true broadway spectacle in this Musical version brought to you by Alan Menken (Disney’s Beauty And The Beast The Little Mermaid and Newsies and Little Shop Of Horrors) and Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical, Once On This Island), and breathes fantastic new life into the classic tale of A Christmas Carol.

Scrooge believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!”, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve which leads Scrooge on a journey through the Past, Present and Future. 

Cast and full creative team to be announced.

William Whelton said: “We are thrilled to be bringing A Christmas Carol to The Lowry. While we will continue to produce work at our wonderful home venue, it has become increasingly challenging for us to stage ambitious, large-scale musicals at Hope Mill so we have been exploring new ways to work in the future – which includes staging our work at other theatres. We are so excited to be producing A Christmas Carol at The Lowry – a wonderful organisation we have long admired that has a thriving, supportive audience. We look forward to our loyal audiences – and new ones – seeing this work in Salford next Christmas.”

Joseph Houston added: “While A Christmas Carol is a story we are all familiar with – especially at this time of year – when I was introduced to this musical version, I was instantly drawn in anew thanks to the legendary Alan Menken’s stunning music and Lynn Ahrens wonderful lyrics. It has everything you’d expect – from soaring tunes to full Broadway dance numbers. Myself and Will loved collaborating on Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella in 2022 and we are delighted to be bringing this very special musical to The Lowry for Christmas 2024. We can’t wait for audiences to see the special show we have in store for them.”

Matthew Eames, Head of Theatres (Contemporary & Commissioning) at The Lowry, said: “We are really excited to be working with Hope Mill Theatre to host their production of A Christmas Carol in 2024 and to be able to support Joseph and Will with their ambitions to grow and develop. Both The Lowry and Hope Mill have been bold in their commitments to musical theatre in recent years, including joining together to host the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer in 2020-21 and we are sure that our Quays Theatre will be a great home-from-home for Hope Mill. We can’t wait to meet Scrooge and the rest of the cast next year!”

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Music by Alan Menken

Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

Book by Lynn Ahrens and Mike Ockrent

Based on the story by Charles Dickens
Original choreography by Susan Stroman Originally directed by Mike Ockrent
Originally presented by Radio City Entertainment at the Theater at Madison Square Garden
Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International

LISTING INFO:

Hope Mill Theatre present A Christmas Carol

The Lowry, Salford

Friday 6^th December 2024 to Saturday 4^th January 2025

Press Night: Thursday 12^th December