A Washington Irving Christmas
Performances: December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 at 7:30pm & December 16 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Venue: Peace United Church of Christ (1503 2nd Ave. NE, Rochester, MN)
Tickets: General Admission tickets are $15 and may be reserved by calling 507-282-6117 or purchased online. Online ticket sales will end one hour prior to show time. Tickets will be available at the door.
Director: Aaron Rocklyn
Music Director: Jaymi Wilson
Cast:
| Irving | Randy |
| Dickens | Kirby |
| Brom | Luke |
| Crane | Ryan |
| Rip | Sean |
| Judge Hoffman | Dale |
| Oliver Cromwell | Kelly |
| Young Rip | Rhys Van Ert |
| Old Hamlet’s Ghost | Al |
| Headless Horseman | Kelly |
| Hessian Sentry | Al |
| Ice Dancer | Olivia |
| Coventry Soloist (Candle Williams) | Semini |
| Coventry Soloist (Starlight Daanakin) | RaeAnn |
| Matilda | Kasey/Lee |
| Mary Shelley | Melissa |
| Sarah | Grace |
| Katrina | Darien |
| Dame Van Winkle | Ione |
| Mrs. Knickerbocker | Jenn |
| Judith Van Winkle | Taylor |
| Servants | Olivia, Kelly, Semini, Ruth, Al, RaeAnn, Rick Van Ert, Aaron |
| Children | Lauren, Kiya |
A brief little story of what A Washington Irving Christmas is about…
Charles Dickens is often credited with being the man who saved Christmas, but Dickens always said that it was his good friend Washington Irving who truly deserved the credit. Irving was the first author in America to make a living by writing, and he wrote many stories of how Christmas had been celebrated before it fell out of favor in 1700’s (in many places it was even banned!) When he wasn’t writing about Christmas, he was penning early American classics like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow or Rip Van Winkle.
Our show takes place when Dickens visits Irving on Christmas Eve in 1842 and is exposed to the songs and stories that Irving is working so hard to preserve. All the games, stories, and traditional music is from Irving and Dickens’ time, yet nearly every song is still a familiar classic, including God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, The Holy and the Ivy, I Saw Three Ships, Good King Wenceslas, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Many also have an 1800’s twist, such as Oh Christmas Tree (Tannenbaum) and Silent Night sung in their original German.
As an added touch, Irving has also invited the neighbors on whom he based many of his stories, so this night of music and laughter will include Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, and yes, the Headless Horseman! Plus a few famous ghosts must visit Dickens overnight if he’s going to be inspired to write A Christmas Carol, right? If you’ve ever wanted to know the true meaning of Christmas, come see it through the eyes of America’s first internationally famous author; he’s sure to show you a Dickens of a time!