RISE & SHINE BROADWAY FANS!!! The newly abridged version of New York’s legendary MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET is just 23 DAYS AWAY. We are talking about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade done in safety precaution COVID style. We at New York Broadway Tours are continuing to spread some appreciation and support for this parade as they’ve gotten our Theater community part of the act. We have more toe-tapping performances coming your way on our TOP 30 BROADWAY AT MACY’S COUNTDOWN.

At # 23 on our countdown, we take you to London in 1843 during the holiday season. There, we meet an elderly and grouchy moneylender by the name “Ebeneezer Scrooge” with no merriment of Christmas. On the night of Christmas Eve, the ghost of his former business partner along with 3 Christmas spirits (Past, Present and Yet to Come) show up at his home. The Ghosts take “Scrooge” on a haunting journey with teaching him a lesson on what the true spirit of the holidays is all about. This is the classic tale of A Christmas Carol. Based on the legendary novel by Charles Dickens, this musical adaptation features a score by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens along with a book by Ahrens and Mike Ockrent.

From the 1995 NBC Telecast, Tony nominee Terrence Mann as “Ebenezzer Scrooge”, Tony winner Ben Vereen as “The Ghost of Christmas Present”, Chris Marquette as “Tiny Tim”, and members of the Madison Square Garden company took part riding on a special float designed specifically for them (every year) with that 18th Century London look. Here they are with a medley of CHRISTMAS TOGETHER, NOTHING TO DO WITH ME, and ABUNDANCE & CHARITY.

This musical version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL was the first major musical to perform a residency at The Theater at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden during the holiday season. It was performed for 10 years from 1994-2003 every December. Under the direction of Mike Ockrent, choreography by Tony winner Susan Stroman, and sponsored every year by American Express, the cast would have a different actor from the worlds of Theater, Film, TV, and Music take on the classic role of “Ebeneezer Scrooge”. These actors consisted of….

Walter Charles (The Original in 1994),

3 time Tony nominee Terrence Mann (in 1995),

Emmy winner Tony Randall (1996),

Both Tony and Emmy winners Hal Linden & Robby McDowall alternating (1997),

The Who's Roger Daltrey (1998),

Stage and Screen legend Tony Roberts (1999),

Tony winner and Oscar nominee Frank Langella (2000),

Tony and Emmy nominee Tim Curry (2001),

Oscar winner F Murray Abraham (2002),

and

Tony winner Jim Dale (2003).

It was well received by Critics and Theatergoers everywhere. During the 10 year run of the show, the entire lobby of The Theater at Madison Square Garden was known for being decked out transformed into the various locations of shops, cafes, and more in 18th Century London. It was designed in the way to get the audiences hyped and into the spirit of the show.

Along with its success on stage, A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL was captured on Film. Originally produced by Hallmark Entertainment, it was a Made-For-TV production and aired on NBC 2004. Under the direction of Arthur Allan Seidelman, the TV film starred Award winner Kelsey Grammer as "Ebenezer Scrooge" plus a full all-star cast including….

Tony winner Jane Krakowski as “The Ghost of Christmas Past”,

Jesse L Martin as “The Ghost of Christmas Present”,

Géraldine Chaplin as “The Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Be”,

Jennifer Love Hewitt as “Emily”,

Jason Alexander as The Ghost of “Jacob Marley”,

Jacob Collier as “Tiny Tim”,

and more.

With the success of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Madison Square Garden, it opened the doors to the Garden with bringing more annual traditional productions there from The Wizard of Oz, to The Grinch, and even Elf The Musical.

As for the musical itself, A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL made its overdue debut overseas in 2016. It was performed as a concert production at London’s Lyceum Theatre led by Robert Lindsay as Scrooge and accompanied by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra. It later went on to become a tradition there ever since playing London’s Lyceum Theatre. This year, the concert version will be done at the Dominion Theatre with the full cast and orchestra socially distanced from one another.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL recently did return to NYC last holiday season playing our Broadway backyard. However, this was NOT a revival of this notable musical production. It was a brand new adaptation by Jack Thorne done as a straight Play and featuring new renditions of classic holiday songs. That version played Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre for a limited 69 performances. It’s scheduled to return to Broadway and launch a National Tour next year in 2021.

Isn’t this story so timeless?

#MacysThanksgivingDayParade #BroadwayAtMacys #NYBTTop30BroadwayAtMacysCountdown #ThisIsBroadway #HolidaysAreAlmostHere #LetsHaveAParade



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Author: NYBroadwayTours