MANCHESTER, NH — The most-loved story of the holiday season, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” wraps up its annual run at the Palace Theatre in Manchester with the Dec. 23 7:30 p.m. performance. The heartwarming story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge gives hope to those finding it difficult to get into the true Christmas spirit. Tiny Tim steals hearts and seals the deal for the happiest of endings in a story set on the poor side of London in the mid 1800s.
Palace acting favorite George Piehl, a 40-year acting veteran, has gets lots of laughs as Scrooge, using quirky looks and voices to infuse a bit of hope into a character that otherwise seems to offer none.
“When I got the chance to do Scrooge, I tried to bring a lot more humanity to him early in the piece and a lot more humor which also made him more human,” Piehl says of his interpretation of the Dickens character. His dedication to the role has him always examining the complex character he plays.
“What really struck me is that I never really completely understood why Scrooge changed. It always seemed to me that he only changed because he saw his gravestone. And that he was too far gone to really become nice and all he wanted was to not die,” George adds.
Actor Mark Nichols shares lead role duties with George. Mark’s recent Palace Theatre credits include Billy Elliot and Rock of Ages in addition to a decade playing Scrooge on the Palace stage.
A Christmas Carol features a live band to accompany the cast of professional actors and singers, creating a production that has been voted Best Live Theatrical Production and Best Theater Event of the Year in Manchester by Hippo Magazine. Celebrating its 100th birthday in 2015, the Palace Theatre is where the arts come alive.
Tickets are available for the final four shows this week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. each evening, and are available at the box office, by phone at 603-668-5588 and online at palacetheatre.org. Group rates are available.
Q&A with George Piehl
Interview by Mike Morin
Q. What version of A Christmas Carol made the greatest early impression on you?
GP. Well, obviously the first one I saw, the first time you see the story. Sadly, we grow up in a place where we don’t read a lot of books and so I never read Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” I saw it. And that was the black-and-white version. I loved it. I loved the story and I loved that.
Q. What really makes Scrooge tick?
GP. What really struck me is that I never really completely understood why Scrooge changed. It always seemed to me that he only changed because he saw his gravestone. And that he was too far gone to really become nice and all he wanted was to not die. That’s what always stuck with me and so when I got the chance to do Scrooge; I tried to bring a lot more humanity to him early in the piece. A lot more humor which also made him more human.
Q. But we never get to the bottom of his personality in the stage version…
GP. When you read Dickens, one of the things they can’t do in the play is show you how exuberant Scrooge was when he was back being a child when he saw his friends. That’s there in the book; his excitement. Yes, there’s the sad part of his youth but there’s also that funness, freshness and he used to love reading Robinson Caruso. And he would fantasize about all of the characters. Those pieces are not in the script. I’ve never seen them in any script so you have to bring that part of his soul to life. And so I do it the way I interpret him.
Q. What’s so special about doing this production at the Palace Theatre?
GP. This is a magnificent theater. There’s a warmth to Manchester audiences. I felt that when I first got here in 1976. They certainly seem to respond to me, whatever I was doing and I’ve been able to make a career because of that give and take I have with the Manchester, New Hampshire audience. So it’s special and being in this place. This is a very, very special place.
Q. A Christmas Carol is about spirits to a large degree. Is the Palace haunted as has been reported including on a national TV program?
GP. (Laughs) I’ve never had any experience myself. I did have an experience at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut years ago which really said, ‘OK, I’m a believer now.’ It is a very, very old opera house. It’s gotta be at least 150-years old. We were working on a play. Two guys. Everybody had gone home. We finally quit. It was just the two of us. We knew that. And we could hear somebody walking in a part of the theater way above our heads you couldn’t get to. Yeah. I believe.
