It’s become a holiday tradition around the country, and for the 16^th year in a row, Middlesex County is a part of it.

Playhouse 22’s production of the Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” opens Friday, Dec. 7, and will run through Sunday, Dec. 16. The production once again brings the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Cratchits, and the Christmas ghosts to life in a stage play originally adapted by Tony Adase, who returns as the director.

“Ever since I was a kid listening to it on the radio it has stayed with me,” he said this week minutes before a dress rehearsal. "We made this a serious drama, like it should have been. Like the book.”

Just in case you’ve never hard of it, or know it by another name (perhaps simply as “Scrooge”), “A Christmas Carol” is the immortal story the story of a miserable miser who learns to keep Christmas in his heart with the help of several ghostly spirits.  Playing the Ghost of Jacob Marley is Rory Chalcraft of South River, along with Jacqueline Master of North Brunswick as the Spirit of Christmas Past, Christopher Rowland as the Spirit of Christmas Present and Jay Harrison Hirsh as Tiny Tim.  Fred Dennehy of Cranbury returns as the irascible Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Adase said the production is very close to the feel of something that Charles Dickens himself may have written.

“It’s very close to the feel of the book. It’s verydark. Not entirely dark, there’s humor too.”

All performances are Friday evenings at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.  All tickets are $12 and are available online at Playhouse22.org, by calling the Box Office at (732) 254-3939 or at the Box Office window.  Playhouse 22 is conveniently located at the East Brunswick Community Arts Center at 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.