Michael Preston Is New 'Scrooge' At Hartford Stage

Meet Hartford Stage's new Scrooge: Michael Preston 

Preston, who played Mr.Marvel in previous productions, will be taking on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge for the 20th anniversary of Michael Wilson's beloved production of A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas.

Preston has performed on Broadway and internationally with the Flying Karamazov Brothers and is on the faculty at Hartford’s Trinity College. Preston follows in the footsteps of Bill Raymond, who retired last Christmas after 17 seasons in the role.

Rachel Alderman, Hartford Stage Artistic Associate , will remount the production with Preston.

Preston, an associate professor of Theatre and dance at Trinity College, served as co-director of Doug Elkins’ Fräulein Maria, a playful dance-imbued love letter to The Sound of Music, performed in New York, at Jacob’s Pillow, around the country and at Hartford Stage in June 2011. He also portrayed Egeus/Peter Quince in Darko Tresnjak’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in collaboration with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in January 2014.  

Preston is a member of the Shaliko Company, founded by Leonardo Shapiro, in New York City. He has also worked with John Sayles (including the films Eight Men Out and Matewan), David Cale, Wynn Handman, and Theodora Skipitares. From 1991 through 2000, Preston toured internationally as one of the Flying Karamazov Brothers, including in three different runs on Broadway. He collaborated on and performed nine different shows with the Flying Karamazov Brothers, ranging from the post-modern tragedy Le Petomane to an update of Room Service (winner of an L.A. Critic’s Award in 1998). They were nominated for an Olivier award in London for Best Comedy in 1994. Preston directed their show Life: A Guide for the Perplexed and co-directed Peter and the Wolf with Barbara Karger, which was choreographed by Doug Elkins, in Amsterdam in 2001. 

The new production of "A Christmas Carol" will begin performances Nov. 24. Single tickets are now on sale and can be purchased through the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151 or online at https://www.hartfordstage.org/christmas-carol.

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