A holiday tradition will take place at the Larchmont Public Library when Librarian Frank Connelly performs Charles Dickens’ timeless classic “A Christmas Carol” on Monday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m., at 121 Larchmont Ave. This will be the 14th consecutive year that Connelly has performed the piece, fully decked out in frock coat and stovepipe hat.
Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was born in Portsmouth, England, and was catapulted to fame with the publication of “The Pickwick Papers” in 1836. By the end of his life, he had penned some of the most beloved novels the world has ever known, including “David Copperfield,” “Bleak House,” “Oliver Twist,” “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Great Expectations.” His novella, “A Christmas Carol,” was written in 1843 and became an instant best seller and its characters – Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, Tiny Tim and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future – became household names.
Of course, they are all just as familiar to us today.
Connelly’s reading of Dickens’ most famous work takes the audience back to Victorian-Era Britain, a time when there was both strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions as well as an initiation of new Christmas practices that are with us today, such as Christmas trees. The story is credited with being one of the greatest influences on Christmas traditions now practiced the world over.
While the characters and the story are indeed familiar to all of us, it is Connelly’s reading that keeps it fresh and that brings out the story’s true meaning and character. Connelly has made it his mission to perform the reading in a fashion that is as true to its writer and as historically accurate to the original 127 readings as possible.
Connelly’s reading of “A Christmas Carol” has become one of the premier holiday traditions in Westchester County and it simply is not to be missed.
