Cantigny Park presents something familiar but new for the holidays—an adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” performed as a 1940s radio play before a live audience.
Tickets ($2) are on sale now at Cantigny.org for two performances: Saturday, December 17, at 7 pm; and Sunday, December 18, at 11 am. Parking for the one-hour inside the Cantigny Park Visitors Center is free for ticket holders.
The set for Cantigny’s version of “A Christmas Carol,” adapted and directed by Christopher Corrigan, is a vintage radio station. Audiences will enjoy a behind-the-scenes perspective as they watch a talented five-member cast cycle through multiple characters. To the side, an old-time radio sound artist will create realistic auditory effects to support the action on stage. The show is inspired by Chicago’s Theatre of the Air, a real radio program introduced by
Colonel Robert McCormick on WGN in 1940.
While the setting is a bit different, the main character’s journey is familiar. Ebeneezer Scrooge is a Chicago citizen in the 1940s and publisher of the Chicago Daily News. Guided by three memorable spirits, he will need to learn the true meaning of Christmas and “goodwill to all” if he is to save himself from an unforgiving future.
More information is online at Cantigny.org, including a full calendar of upcoming holiday events for families. Highlights include the park’s Celebrate the Season festival on December 3, and the annual LEGO Train Show, December 10-11.
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About Cantigny Park
Cantigny Park, part of the Chicago-based Robert R. McCormick Foundation, is the 500-acre Wheaton estate of Robert R. McCormick (1880-1955), long-time editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. It is home to the McCormick House, First Division Museum, display gardens, picnic grounds, walking trails and a Visitors Center with retail shop, banquet, and dining facilities. More information, including hours, directions and upcoming events is online at Cantigny.org. Cantigny Golf, adjacent to the park, features a 27-hole championship golf course, full-service clubhouse, Cantigny Golf Academy and the 9-hole Cantigny Youth Links. For more information, visit CantignyGolf.com.