TOM MULA: A Reading of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" with music by Larry Schanker
Sat Dec 9, 2023 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Studio5 Performing Arts Center, 60202
Description
ONE NIGHT ONLY! Tom returns to Studio5 for a staged reading of his beautiful novel, telling Dickens' famous tale from the perspective of Scrooge's former business partner. Featuring a live improvised score by the brilliant Larry Schanker. What a great way to usher in the holidays with your family!
We are honored that Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol has become a Studio5 holiday tradition. For one special night we have the incomparable Tom Mula all to ourselves as he takes the Studio5 stage to perform an intimate reading of his inspiring, funny, deeply touching story. With the addition of Larry Schanker's live improvised piano score, it will be a truly magical Studio5 experience. We hope you can join us to see this master storyteller up close, and by all means, bring your family (appropriate for ages 12 and up). Watch the opening scene in the video above.
Cash bar, light snacks, free parking right outside! Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime. [NOTE: Ticket sales on this website end one hour before showtime. Any remaining tickets are available for purchase at the door.]
LIVESTREAM: For those unable to attend this event in person, we now offer online streaming. Online viewers can watch live or up to seven days following the event, broadcast in high resolution audio and video, using multiple cameras. Click HERE to purchase tickets to watch this event online.
Béa and I have known Tom Mula almost as long as we've known each other. Tom is a brilliant actor/director/playwright, who, among many other accomplishments, portrayed Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol for seven years. Béa choreographed that show for ten years, which is how she got to know Tom. My friendship with Tom also extends back decades. He and I were co-writers on two theater productions, Sylvia's Real Good Advice (written with and based on the cartoon strip by Nicole Hollander), and W! (based on the presidency of George W. Bush). During Tom's run as Scrooge at the Goodman, a young girl who had seen the show told Tom that she thought Jacob Marley got a bad deal: Marley came back as a tormented ghost to tell Scrooge to change his ways in order to avoid his own fate, but Marley himself had no chance at redemption. Tom hadn't considered this, but agreed, and set out to correct the record. His beautiful novel, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, tells Dickens' famous tale from Marley's perspective. This impeccable story was a critical smash and has had many lives: Tom's recording of his reading of the novel was broadcast on NPR nationally for six years. Tom has performed the story across the country (including here at the Goodman) as a one-man play, and has adapted it for the stage for larger ensembles. All in all it has had over 400 productions, in 48 states, on four continents. And it is now available as an audiobook. Click HERE to view it at Audible.com. –SR
Many thanks to our media sponsor, WDCB!
(promo photo of Tom Mula by Jennifer Girard)
Location
Studio5 Performing Arts Center, 60202