Music, mulled cider, and a passion for the work of Charles Dickens. What more could a Christmas-loving audience ask for? A charity component? Well, that’s included too.
It seems that organizer Eric Hominick has all the bases covered as he and his wife Rose get set to stage the “dramatic reading in costume” of A Christmas Carol at the United Churches of Langley on Saturday Nov. 28.
The Hominicks have been putting on events like this for years, for a wide range of reasons.
Rose explained, “Performing A Christmas Carol is our labour of love and the response we get is very gratifying, both from the audience and from the charities the proceeds support.”
This year’s charity is the Langley Pos-Abilities Society which works with disabled individuals.
The reading of the story is done with vocal flair and in costumes indicative of 1843 (the year Dickens published the tale) which the performers make themselves.
Local musicians will accompany the spoken words with their short, seasonal interludes, including performances by special musical guests, the Langley Children’s Choir.
“The inclusion of children makes the evening particularly magical,” Rose said.
While it is a dramatic reading and not a staged production, it will still capture the audience’s senses, according to Eric.
“It is a splendid multi-sensory experience; a wondrous, family-friendly entertainment; a sermon-in-a-ghost-story; an exposing of the worst and celebration of the best in humanity; a social gathering with no barriers; and a focus for hope, that rare commodity often missing or forgotten in our technological age,” he added.
When the reading concludes, guests are invited to linger and enjoy homemade mincemeat tarts and mulled cider.
“We have always served refreshments,” Eric said. “A huge hit with our audiences.”
When Eric refers to audiences, he is talking about this being the eighth Christmas show he and Rose have put on with their fellow readers.
“There are die-hard Dickens fans who do return year after year,” Rose said. “They have actually followed us from Vancouver to Richmond and then to Langley.”
The readers are die-hard too, with many of them returning to be part of the event which seems like an ideal way to kick off the holiday season.
“And where else can you go to hear a ripping great ghost story with a happy ending? How fantastic is that?” said Eric.
A Christmas Carol runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday at the United Churches of Langley – Murrayville site at 21562 Old Yale Road.
Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door or $25 for a family pack and are available at Long & McQuade Music or online at www.pos-abilities.org.
Thanks to the support of Britannica Repertory Company, Hominick Music Studio, and the United Churches of Langley, organizers are able to keep costs for hosting the show low and proceeds will go to the Langley Pos-Abilities Society.
For more information contact the Hominicks at 604-427-3759.