St. James Players will present the reading of a new play, “Peter Cratchit, Esq.,” on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 5 p.m. at St. James Church, 581 Valley Road.
The play is a sequel to Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” and follows the life of Bob Cratchit’s oldest son, Peter, 40 years after “A Christmas Carol” ends. Peter has been running Uncle Ebenezer Scrooge’s charitable foundation for decades and finds himself exhausted and overwhelmed by the constant demands, and even more so by Christmas itself. When he announces his desire to be rid of Christmas, he is visited by three spirits, in the form of his father Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, and, of course, good old Ebenezer himself.
St. James Players describe the play as a cross between “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The play is written by St James Player member Kerr Lockhart, and directed by Jim Vagias, artistic producing director of the American Theatre Group in residence at SOPAC.
The performance will be preceded by a Christmas music in authentic unplugged English style by the BARD Band, beginning at 4:30. Refreshments will be served and a Q-and-A with the author and the company will follow the performance. Admission is free.
For more information, call 973-744-0270.