Tony Lentz will present a dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, at The State Theatre, and at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, at Schlow Centre Region Library.
Lentz first presented his one-man dramatic reading of “A Christmas Carol” in 1980. This year will be his 37th performance.
According to Lentz, in the 1920s at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, professor Frederic Koch, a mentor to famous writers Thomas Wolfe and Betty Smith, performed the reading annually.
When Koch retired, professor Earl Wynn continued the tradition. Lentz heard Wynn’s reenactment in 1965 when he was a freshman at UNC.
“So I continue an oral tradition of sorts,” Lentz says.
Over the years, Lentz has had a number of touching experiences while performing. One year, in Pine Grove Mills, local ceramic artist Ziggy Coyle presented Lentz with a box at intermission. Lentz opened it after the play, and inside he found a miniature version of himself performing the reading.
“I’m very proud of it,” he says. “Lots of people have Oscars and Tonys, but I’m the only one with a Ziggy.”
Each year, Lentz joyfully revisits the cast of characters introduced to him by Wynn.
“The great joy,” he says, “is seeing the eyes of people shining through smiles when the story is done. They’ve had their hearts and imaginations stirred in response to the story, and they experience the joy of the holiday season.”
Lentz says the experience moves him each year to make the effort to get his voice in shape for this “vocal marathon.”
“I do get excited about the performance each year,” he says. “Professor Wynn always made it feel like Christmas when I heard the story. It’s a gift to remember that the choices we make each day can make the world a little more enjoyable. Now I try to share that gift with the community, in hopes of spreading the message that life can be joyous, whatever our situation, if we choose to make it so.”
