Historic Hudson Valley's newest attraction, the reciting of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, will debut at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow on Friday, Nov. 25.

The storyteller is Jonathan Kruk, known for his past narrations of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Kruk adds A Christmas Carol to a repertoire that at some time in the future may also include Rip Van Winkle.

The telling of the tale about stingy Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future will be repeated on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, 10 and 17. Four performances will be held each day at 4, 5, 6 and 7 p.m. The performances run 45 minutes with just fifteen minutes left to exchange audiences. Pianist/composer Tom McCoy entertains between performances.

As Kruk did with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, he will deliver a shortened version of A Christmas Carol. "The whole story (A Christmas Carol) is over 28,000 words long or more than twice the length of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," he explained. 

"I recorded an unabridged reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow which is 85 minutes long," he said. "The Carol appearances at the Old Dutch Church are not plain readings but rather a dramatic retelling with varied voices that distills Dickens to its essence and gives time-crunched audiences a full experience in about 45 minutes."

Kruk said the idea to put on A Christmas Carol came from Jim Keyes, a musician and frequent collaborator. "Keyes felt the stalk beauty of the Old Dutch Church made it an ideal setting for an intimate performance of A Christmas Carol," Kruk related. Church minister Jeff Gargano agreed.
 
"I feel passionately that after the story of the first Christmas, the Dickens tale best expresses the hope of transformation inherent in Christmas," Kruk said. "Taking it on was daunting but I jumped at the opportunity to tell this tale I love."

"Ideally, this is a story made for high school and middle school children," Kruk said. "School-aged children will enjoy the story for all its ghostly goodness. I make a point of keeping the wondrous word play and classic phrases of Dickens.  Elementary aged kids will find this unfamiliar, odd yet fun."

"Keyes was already booked at for Twelfth Night Celebrations at Van Cortlandt Manor, so I turned to Tom McCoy, an old friend and musical collaborator," Kruk said.

During 2011, Kruk performed The Legend of Sleepy Hollow thirty-six sold-out times during October, 2011 for Historic Hudson Valley in a snow-shortened season and gave ten performances at schools and the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut.

Kruk hopes to perform Rip Van Winkle in the future but plans have not been finalized. "This is kind of a secret but Rip is in the works," he confided.

He has just completed work on a book about the origins of the headless horseman and his surrounding spirits called Legends and Lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley. In addition, The History Press has accepted his preliminary proposal for a book on the legends and lore of the Hudson Highlands. He also has several Hudson Valley based children's manuscripts ready to submit to publishers.

Tickets for A Christmas Carol can be purchased in advance at www.hudsonvalley.org at $16 for adults and $12 for children under 18. Members of Historic Hudson Valley receive a $5 discount per ticket. For information, call 914-366-6900.

Free parking is available across the street from the church at Philipsburg Manor, 281 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow. Between performances, attendees can enjoy complimentary hot chocolate, cider, and cookies and purchase souvenirs at Philipsburg Manor's museum shop.

Thanksgiving weekend is Holiday Premiere at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, Nov. 25-27. The homestead is fully decorated in authentic period style. Costumed guides present tours that focus on historic traditions of the winter holidays. Hands-on workshops for children add educational opportunities. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for children 5-17, and free for children under 5 and Historic Hudson Valley members.

Sunnyside is at the end of West Sunnyside Lane in Tarrytown. For information: 914-366-6900, www.hudsonvalley.org.