By Randi Bjornstad

Practically everyone has heard of Charles Dickens’ famous story, A Christmas Carol, but maybe not the backstory behind it.

Actors Cabaret of Eugene offers a bit of the history, along with announcing that it will bring back the musical version of the famous story of Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future starting Nov. 17 and running through Dec. 16.

Here’s ACE’s description of how A Christmas Carol came about:

Being a professional writer is hard. Charles Dickens had success with his earlier stories, but in 1843 he began to have financial problems. His book sales were falling off, his wife was pregnant with their fifth child and his publishers were threatening to reduce his monthly income. The dude needed a hit. Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in six weeks, finishing up in early December. He created the story while taking nightly walks around London. The “walks” were usually between 15 and 20 miles a night. “A Christmas Carol” was published on December 19 ,1843, and the first edition was sold out by Christmas Eve. It has never been out of print.

Actors Cabaret goes on to explain that the classic Christmas tale became a musical in 1994, created by Alan Menkin, who also did the same for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and his collaborator Lynn Ahrens, whose résumé included Once on This Island and Seussical. Their version played at Madison Square Garden in New York City for nearly a decade.

In Eugene, Actors Cabaret premiered its A Christmas Carol musical in 2005 to sold-out performances and repeated the production for an additional four years.

Now it’s back, produced and directed by ACE originals Jim Roberts and Joe Zingo, along with a cast that includes some of the members of the original Actors Cabaret cast.

A Christmas Carol at Actors Cabaret of Eugene

When: Evenings at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) on Nov. 17-18 and 24-25 and Dec. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.) on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3

Where: Actors Cabaret of Eugene, 996 Willamette St., Eugene

Tickets: Show and dinner $49/$55/$60; show and brunch $49/$53/$55; show only $19/$27/$30; available by telephone at 541-683-4368 (10:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday) or online at actorscabaret.org/tickets

Note: All sales are final. Any tickets remaining on day-of-show will be sold at the door.

Updated health protocol: Actors Cabaret of Eugene no longer requires patrons to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. Patrons are strongly encouraged to wear masks in the theater, but we want everyone to feel comfortable and confident in their masking choices. Tickets are sold up to full seating capacity without spacing between parties. Policies are subject to change based on evolving guidance from Lane County, the State of Oregon, and the CDC. If you are feeling unwell, please stay home. You can switch to another performance if available for that show, donate your ticket back to ACE or give it to a friend.