A Lower Bucks County take on Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Levittown Christmas Carol,” returns to New Hope Arts this December with an expanded production and a refreshed vision after selling out four performances last year.
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The original musical was created by Levittown natives Righteous Jolly and David Garrett Shaw. It reimagines the holiday story in modern-day Lower Bucks County and is filled with 1990s nostalgia and local references.
“The show is a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol,’ basically, to be very general about it, it’s set in our area, Levittown, and nostalgic to the 1990s, mostly,” said Jolly, who plays both the protagonist, Chuck, and the Scrooge character in the adaptation.
The 2025 run introduces two new characters and features an appearance by Broadway actor Scott Allen, known for his role in the original cast of “A Chorus Line,” who will perform in the Dec. 13 and Dec. 14 shows.
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The plot follows Chuck, an employee at a local establishment called the Golden Jawn, as he struggles to adapt “A Christmas Carol” into his own version.
The creators added two characters based on feedback from previous performances: Young Ebby, played by Noble Jolly, and Young Man Ebby.
Shaw wrote a new song, “Enjoy the Moment,” for the Fezziwig character. It is set during a CYO basketball championship at the now-former Immaculate Conception in Bristol Township.
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“The way that I wrote it was thinking about advice that I would want to hear,” Shaw said. “It’s the stuff that I know now that I’m 47 years old, that I would want to hear as an 11 year old.”
The musical heavily incorporates local color, including everything from BMX bikes and Starter jackets to businesses like the Seafood Shanty and characters who frequent establishments such as Sparky’s Bar.
“We get a lot of chuckles out of a lot of the references because of the timing of it is typically comedic, but people appreciate it,” Jolly said. “People that are old enough and not even just that because my children, which are 18 and 25, they come to see it and they are schooled in what the ‘90s were like on some level.”
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While steeped in Levittown lore, the creators say the story resonates beyond Lower Bucks County.
Though 75 percent of the cast members are not from Levittown, they remain passionate about the project, according to the creators.
“If they can appreciate the facts of what it is, then that’s to me, that’s everything,” Shaw said.
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“People can relate to what exists in the play from a macro sensibility,” Jolly explained in an interview. “It’s human. It’s all human. It’s all emotional. It’s all things that we’ve been through. But locking into the nostalgia of the 1990s”
The production explores both the nostalgia and the complexities of growing up in the area, including the community’s history of racial segregation and its evolution.
The character Grace represents families who were excluded from buying homes in the original planned community due to redlining.
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“We would be remarkably remiss if we did not share the story of the people that we went to high school with and grade school,” Jolly said. “We did our best to depict from multiple perspectives.”
The creators also use the work to address economic and social changes that impacted communities like Levittown following the decline of heavy industry and manufacturing.
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“The story of Dave and I and how we were raised, perhaps yourself too, and the characters, all the characters in our show, it is very much influenced by the closing of the steel mill and all of those things when big industry went elsewhere,” Jolly said.
Both creators view the project as personal catharsis during what can be a joyus and a difficult time of year.
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“Dave and I, probably organically, before we came together, try to keep ourselves busy during the holidays,” Jolly said. “And because of our respective baggage. Dave and I together, we have literally created this thing in an effort to find catharsis in ourselves.”
Shaw added, “It’s so human to have some type of emotional complexity that’s attached to the holidays, whether you lost a loved one or November or whatever has an impact on your life.”
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The show, which began at Broken Goblet Brewing Company several years ago, has grown and matured, leading to its current performance run at New Hope Arts in New Hope Borough.
The 2025 production features an expanded team of 22 people, including the band, cast, stage manager, and crew, all of whom receive payment for their work.
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“We are not hobbyists or attempting to not be hobbyists in this game of artists and creation,” Jolly said. “We have always depended on the kindness of strangers and patrons of the arts. But we are doing our best to make sure everybody gets something.”
The cast includes Jolly as Chuck/Scrooge and The Artist Known as KOURAJ as Grace/Christin, with an ensemble featuring Kat Bohn, Mark Applegate, Joe Beckett, Aimee Robidoux, Maurice Osborne, Jaime Parker, Joe Rakowski, Reba Holley, Mary Tomson, Nora Hammet, Connor Schmiegel, and Noble Jolly.
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Under the direction of Griffin Horn, this year’s production benefits from New Hope Arts’ upgraded stage lighting and features a newly designed set by McAfee Madding, with immersive projections by Jay Dooley and costumes by Gina Andreoli.
Performances run Dec. 12 to 14 and Dec. 18 to 20, with evening shows at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 14 at New Hope Arts at 2 Stockton Avenue in New Hope.
Tickets are available for $35, or $30 for New Hope Arts members, at NewHopeArts.org.
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