A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House is back for a 14th holiday season. Summoners Ensemble Theatre puts Charles Dickens in the double parlor of a real 1832 New York home again from November 24, 2026 through January 3, 2027.
The house is the Merchant’s House Museum at 29 East 4th Street in Manhattan. The year inside it is 1867. It is December, and Dickens is in New York for a month of sold-out readings of his own Christmas story. The audience sits in the Greek Revival double parlor with him, among candles, period holiday decorations and the family’s original furniture.
The script comes from the performance text Dickens himself used on stage. John Kevin Jones and Rhonda Dodd adapted it, and Dodd directs. It runs about 70 minutes, with Scrooge, Marley, Tiny Tim and the three spirits all coming through one performer. Seating is strictly limited.
Two actors share the role again. Jones, who originated Dickens in this production, alternates with Vince Gatton, who returns to the house this year. Gatton has the first night, Tuesday, November 24, at 7pm. From December 20 to the final performance on Sunday, January 3, every show is Jones. There are no performances on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.
On select dates between December 3 and January 1, the evening starts an hour early with A Holiday Reception with Mr. Dickens. Jones, in character, performs A Visit from St. Nicholas, and guests get a cup of Smoking Bishop, a traditional mulled wine, or chilled cider. The reception opens up rooms the performance does not use: the family room, the kitchen and, weather permitting, the garden. It costs $35 on top of the ticket and is capped at 20 guests. From December 18 through 26, bell ringer Natalia Paruz plays carols in the kitchen during the reception.
TheaterMania has called the show “masterful storytelling.”
The setting is the draw. Built in 1832, the Merchant’s House is the only 19th-century family home in New York City preserved virtually intact, with its own furnishings and belongings still inside. It is a National Historic Landmark and one of the few buildings in the city landmarked for both its exterior and its interior. Summoners Ensemble, founded in 1993 by actors who trained together at Circle in the Square Theatre School, has made work in the house for more than a decade.
The production also travels this year. Gatton, who grew up in Louisville, takes it to the historic Brennan House at 631 South 5th Street in downtown Louisville for a week, December 21–27, 2026.
Tickets for the New York run are sold through summonersensemble.org and merchantshouse.org. For the reception, choose the “Reception & Performance” option where it is offered. Groups of 10 or more can book by email through the company.
