Meet Ebenezer Scrooge: Nicholas Hughes

Meet Ebenezer Scrooge:
Nicholas Hughes

by Lisa Hummel

Born and raised near Devonshire, England, Nicholas Hughes moved to the Harrisburg area in 1978. His wife, WITF-FM’s Ellen Hughes, is an area native, and, after spending six years in his homeland, the couple returned to the region with their two young sons. He can currently be found portraying the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Open Stage production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

Hughes caught the proverbial acting bug early. His first big break came in the form of a performance in a tale of the Pied Piper at age eight. His earliest acting memory is that of the Mayor of Hamlin, “the guy who did not negotiate a good deal for the Pied Piper.” After participating in a number of performances throughout school and college, Hughes abandoned acting for the real world — until Open Stage came to call.

An avid fan of theater, Hughes enjoyed the offerings of local productions for some years from the sidelines before becoming a member of the Open Stage of Harrisburg Board of Directors. That was five years ago. Two years ago, Hughes was approached by the company’s artistic director, Donald Alsedek, who was preparing for an upcoming production and offered Hughes a part.

“Don Alsedek thought that I had potential and wound up offering me a part in “The Trials of Oscar Wilde” as the English barrister who gets Wilde to say things in court that got him into the trouble that he did,” said Hughes. “It was a wonderful part, and that was followed up with doing Scrooge for the first time last year.”

Calling last year’s production a great experience, Hughes didn’t have to think twice before accepting the role for this year’s version. Leading a production with a different cast and new special effects, Hughes vows to be just as excited this time around.

“It is a lot of work, but it makes the holiday season great fun,” he said. The cast and crew — 20 people in total — began rehearsals in October and have been steadily preparing for Opening Night on November 30.

Open Stage’s version of “A Christmas Carol” was adapted by Edward Alsedek and features the combined talents of the actors, designer and puppeteer Rob Gardner, and an original musical score. Hughes is also quick to point out that the production stays true to Dickens’ original work: “We speak the language the way Charles Dickens wrote it, not an updated version, which is the way I think it should be done.”

Hughes enjoys donning the Scrooge persona each night during the play’s run and has yet to determine which aspect of the character he likes best. “It depends on the night and my own mood, I suppose,” he said, clearly grinning, even over the phone. “I don’t know whether I prefer being wretched to my nephew and Bob Cratchit or coming around at the end. That, or dealing with the ghosts of Christmas’ Past and Present, and the Ghost of Christmas’ Future, which, of course, is quite scary.”

For now, Hughes is prepping himself for his second year as Scrooge and hopes things go just as smoothly as they did the first time around. He is also anticipating the City of Harrisburg’s Annual Holiday Parade on November 17, during which he and Tiny Tim (played by John Krall) will ride the parade route in a carriage.

Although the production is only in its second year, Hughes admits that Open Stage would like nothing more than to make “A Christmas Carol” a family tradition. “It is the goal of the theater to make it a Christmas tradition in the city, to do it for years and years,” he said. “And whether I’m a part of that or not, we’ll see.”

Open Stage of Harrisburg presents Charles Dickens’ classic story, “A Christmas Carol,” running November 30-December 31. For more information, call 232-6736.