With live theater on hold for the foreseeable future, The Premier Theatre Company, like many other arts organizations, has been working to devise alternative options for live entertainment.
The organization had to cancel a slate of shows because of COVID-19, including “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “9 to 5” and perennial favorite “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” meaning lost revenue for a theater that has been entertaining the Jersey Shore for over 30 years.
So, to add a little holiday spirit to an otherwise not-so-cheerful summer, Premier will livestream Michael Kroll’s one-man show version of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” at 7:30 p.m. July 25. Kroll has performed the show at other venues, including Brookdale Community College; the version Premier is showing was recorded at the Holmdel Theatre.
Kroll starred as Ebenezer Scrooge, the joyless old penny-pincher who despises Christmas, in Premier’s musical production of “Scrooge!” for many years. Now he brings this classic holiday favorite to life, shedding new light on an often-told tale of finding joy, making amends and goodwill toward men.
While the virtual event is free, Premier will be asking for donations during the livestream. As a nonprofit, the theater company relies on ticket sales, fundraising and donations to operate.
A link to the livestream will be made available Wednesday, July 22 on the theater’s website at premiertheatre.com or on its social media platforms, facebook.com/PremierTheatre and @premiertheatre on Instagram. It will include multiple options for donating, including via Facebook, the website and Venmo.
The program is made possible in part by Monmouth Arts through funding from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
The article originally appeared in the July 16 – 22, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
