Why do classics like “A Christmas Carol” endure? We asked a group of Scrooges.

God bless us all, as Mainers get to see four different adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” on local stages this season.

Everyone has their own style. One is a musical with puppets. Another is a one-man show. But all feature some version of Ebenezer Scrooge, the central character who encounters three ghosts during the iconic tale. The four Scrooges shared their views on the role and why this story is so enduring.

“A Christmas Carol” adapted by Christopher Schario, Public Theater, Lewiston, Dec. 13-15, $15-$35. thepublictheatre.org

Joel Leffert has done countless performances of “A Christmas Carol.” The New York-based actor played the Ghost of Christmas Past, Bob Cratchit and, of course, Scrooge. He toured the play twice across Europe in this role and a solo version at Portland Stage. Such a classic role presents a welcome challenge for an actor, he said.

“You have to surprise people,” Leffert said. “We cannot fall into the trap of the cliché of ‘Bah! Humbug!’ »

“It’s about transformation,” Leffert said. “For an actor to have the chance to go on a journey like Scrooge is a wonderful and affirming thing. You have to start there and end there, and the play takes you into this river of emotion. It forces you to change . It forces you to find hope in a difficult time.

He likes Schario’s version, a tradition at the Public Theater. The story begins with a child who reads Charles Dickens’ novel at school and is then drawn into the action 150 years ago.

“It adds a modern enthusiasm, a rediscovery of the text to the show because he’s discovering it for the first time,” Leffert said.

“Homcockery! A spirited Christmas carol gone wrong”, Footlights Theater, Falmouth, December 5 to 22, $20. thefootlightstheatre.org

This production isn’t really “A Christmas Carol” – it’s a play on the production of “A Christmas Carol.” Set in the 1940s, the story follows a touring company of misfit performers who must put on their show despite numerous setbacks and without half their cast.

Julie Poulin played many female roles in “A Christmas Carol,” including Fezziwig’s wife and Mrs. Cratchit. But she jumped at the chance to play the leading man – or, in this case, the female lead.

Her character is Maggie McGuire, a diva determined to play the lead role in this production. (His reasoning? “I hate people and I hate Christmas,” Poulin quoted on the show.)

“Be surprised to know that you will laugh as much as you do,” Poulin said. “We’re still laughing about it at the end with all the classic feels. The cool thing about “Humbug” is that not only does Ebonita learn the lesson, but Maggie learns the lesson as well.

“A Christmas Carol: The Musical” Lyric Music Theater, South Portland, December 6-22, $25-30. lyricmusictheater.org

Zack Handlen’s introduction to Dickens’s childhood story was “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” (At 45, he’s a bit younger than the typical Scrooge. “We’re going to put a little gray in my hair,” he said.) He was never himself on the show until ‘now, and he described Scrooge as “a dream role”. .”

“One of the things that’s great about playing Scrooge is that you become the biggest jerk in the world at the beginning and you’re basically overjoyed by the end,” he said .

Lyric Music Theater offers a musical version first developed by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens. The theater uses puppets to represent the three ghosts who visit Scrooge in the story, which Handlen says gives them an otherworldly feel. These little details, he says, distinguish one production from another.

“That’s one of the hard things about ‘A Christmas Carol,’” he said. “On the one hand, everyone knows it. On the other hand, everyone knows it. One of the reasons a story like this can lose its power is because it becomes so familiar.

“A Christmas Carole, » Footlights Theater, Falmouth, December 2 to 23, $20. thefootlightstheatre.org

While several theaters are presenting their take on this story, Footlights is the only one to do two.

Executive artistic director Michael Tobin developed a solo version of “A Christmas Carol” that has become an annual tradition at the theater. He plays all the characters, including Scrooge. He used to watch the 1951 film “Scrooge” growing up and idolized Alistair Sim for his performance in the role. He tries to bring nuances to his own portrait.

“I play Scrooge as someone who is misunderstood,” he said. “Sometimes the Scrooges are played very mean and heartless, and I’m not saying Scrooge isn’t heartless in his current state, but they go to extremes. Some are so saccharine and caricatured that you lose your heart.

All the Scrooges said that history endures because it reminds us of the possibility of change.

“The message of love prevails,” Tobin said. “People can change their minds. They can find the good in their hearts, love and cherish the things in their life.

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Here are some other quintessential stories and songs you can enjoy this holiday season in Maine:

Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” City Theatre, Biddeford, December 6-22, $30. citytheater.org

Maine State Ballet’s “Nutcracker” Merrill Auditorium, Portland, November 29-December. $8.24 to $88. mainestateballet.org

“Let us sing Christmas” Classical Uprising, concerts in Brunswick and Cape Elizabeth, December 8 and 14, $5 for children under 18 and $25 for adults. classicuprising.org

“Home for the Holidays” Concert SeriesPortland Conservatory of Music, December 26-28, $29.50. porttix.com

Disney’s “Frozen: The Broadway Musical” presented by Ogunquit Playhouse at Portsmouth Music Hall, November 27 – December 22. themusichall.org

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