A Christmas Carol at Theatre West, Hollywood

Most holiday stagings of Dickens play it straight. This one starts with a crisis. Theatre West's new comedy follows The Turtle Springs Community Players on opening night of A Christmas Carol, with half the cast out sick and a full house waiting. The show must go on, so the troupe makes it up as it goes.

It is a world premiere written by Tom Walla and directed by Bill Sehres, produced by Garry Kluger for Theatre West. For anyone scanning for things happening in Hollywood this December, it is a good-natured pick that does not require knowing the Dickens story by heart, though it helps.

When: Opens Friday, Dec. 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM, and runs through Jan. 10, 2027 Where: Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd W, Los Angeles, CA 90068 Tickets: $30 online, $35 at the door

What to expect

The premise is the whole engine. A community theater company has rehearsed a familiar holiday classic for weeks, and then illness thins the cast right before the curtain. Expect doubled-up roles, improvised fixes and the particular chaos of amateurs who refuse to cancel. The source material gives the comedy something to bend, and the story's ghosts and redemption arc are fair game for jokes.

The production is billed as a comedy, so treat it as a lighter alternative to the usual earnest adaptation. It suits a date night, a group of friends or a family outing with older kids who can follow a backstage farce.

The schedule

Performances run Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM, from Dec. 4 through Jan. 10. The theater is dark on Dec. 25. That gives you six weekends to fit it in, which makes it one of the more flexible upcoming events in Los Angeles for the holiday stretch.

About Theatre West

Theatre West was founded in 1962 and is described as the oldest continually running professional theatre company in Los Angeles. It sits on Cahuenga Boulevard West, close to the Hollywood Bowl and the Universal City side of the pass, so it works well as part of a night out in the area.

Getting there and tickets

Tickets are $30 online or $35 at the door. You can buy through the official ticket page linked below, or call the box office at (323) 851-4839 to reserve. Booking ahead saves five dollars and secures a seat for a premiere that may sell well on weekends.

Cahuenga Boulevard West runs along the Hollywood side of the 101, so plan extra time for traffic on a Friday night, and check the venue's own page for current parking details before you go. If you are building a list of things to do in Los Angeles around the holidays, this fits comfortably between a morning outdoors and a late dinner nearby.

Cast and creative details come from Theatre West and BroadwayWorld, so confirm showtimes on the ticket page if your plans are tight.