November 23, 2025 • 11 mins
We spoke with Rebecka Jones, a longtime cast member who is playing The Ghost of Christmas Past, about the upcoming show at Hartford Stage, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas from November 22 to December 28, 2025.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Merz. My guest this morning is Rebecca Jones.
She stars as Ghost of Christmas Past and a Christmas Carol,
A Ghost Story of Christmas at Hartford Stage. Good morning,
good morning, thank you for having me my pleasure. So
I am one of those people who's seen it eight
(00:21):
million times. I saw it when it was with Bill Raymond,
a thousand times, when Michael Wilson originally directed it, and
now he's back. We have so much to talk about.
It's so exciting.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yes, yes, and you have done seen me eight thousand.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
This is my twenty first year doing a Christmas Carol.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Holy cow, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I know it is, it is. I'm very lucky. It's
been a wonderful ride. I've had the opportunity to play
many different characters and work with many different fabulous actors
as you said, Bill Raymond and Bill Coox, and I mean,
it's just it's been such an experience and for me
a part of my holiday, I mean really really a
(01:09):
solid part of my holiday, my family holiday. Yeah. I
can't imagine my adult life without it at this point.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Tell me, is this your first time as the Ghost
of Christmas Past. Or you've done that as well.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Nope. I did the Ghost of Christmas Past for several
years as an understudy under the wonderful Joanna Morrison. She
was just so beautiful and fabulous in that role, and
then I took it over. Goodness gracious, the years kind
of start to lend, you know. I think I think
I took her over in twenty seventeen or twenty eighteen.
(01:45):
I'm not sure which year it is. So I've done
it for several years. Obviously, there was the COVID period
which put us all on hiatus, but I did do
her as my primary role for a couple of years
prior to that.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
So I've seen you and you are just as beautiful,
just as talented.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah, really, I mean, for anybody who hasn't seen it,
the show is just breathtaking on so many different levels.
Let's talk about a Christmas Carol. It's not your typical
a Christmas Carol.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
No. Michael Wilson did an incredible job adapting this. He
uses a lot of Dickens' language, so you would recognize
a lot of the dialogue that happens between some of
the main characters, but he also infused it with his
own creativity and added the elements of the three Vendors,
which he borrowed from the Wizard of Oz. Believe it
(02:36):
or not, it's kind of an interesting time right now
with Wicked being so popular that this adaptation, in fact
that Michael wrote I think gosh back what he was
in his twenties, you know, back in the eighties or
something like that, was borrowed from the Wizard of Oz.
So it's that's particular story and how it has had
an impact on so many different Wicked and now you
(03:01):
have this adaptation of a Christmas carol with that component.
It's really amazing.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So for those who don't know, it's not a musical.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Nope, but it does have musical components, right, there is
some musical I mean, and the score for it by
John Gramatta is remarkable and beautiful. And there's a lot
of dancing in it too, right, there's a lot of
intrigue with the apparitions, and so while it may not
be a full on musical, there are some components to it.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yes, and as you mentioned the apparitions, I remember I'm
a grown woman sitting first of all, there isn't a
bad seat in the entire place at Hartford Stage. It's
absolutely beautiful. But I think I was like right there
on the edge of the stage and the apparitions came
out an area I'm a grown woman. I was like,
oh wow.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yep, yep, yep. And I love that element of it,
The spooky ghost story side of it is, I think
so exciting and fun and it's so wonder when we
do the matinees for the school age children, their their
joy and they're they're they're so vocal when all of
those ghosts come up and and they're just so excited.
(04:11):
It gives it gives us as performances a performer is
a big boost.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Oh yeah, you don't want an audience that just sits
there staring like you love the facial expressions and the
oohs and ahs. I could sit next to a child
in any kind of film or theater and just get
the biggest kick out of everything that comes out of
their mouths.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like you're you're seeing the show through.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Them, yes, yes, without giving away the show. What do
you hope that people take away with them?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Well? The story is so classic right in the arc
of redemption. You know, we we all go through life
and we make choices, and sometimes, you know, those choices
may not be the best choices, but we can always
look for alternatives, look for forgiveness, look for look to
make different choices, you know, and we can we can
(05:01):
hope that for the people in our lives as well too.
I think it's it's a story of community and how
I mean, in the in the play itself, you've got
a whole community of characters that are kind of surrounding
screwed right and trying to help him through this journey
of perhaps viewing life in a different way and reaching
(05:22):
out to people and and seeing joy and community and forgiveness.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, yeah, I was going to say, and forgiveness too,
on the part of Cratchett.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yes, Bob Cratchett. With Bob Cratchett, Yes, absolutely, And and
Bob Cratchett is such a fascinating character in him in
It's in himself, because he's so optimistic and he wants
to see the good in people, and and he is
he is struggling, you know, he's struggling with a family
(05:52):
one with an illness and how do you how do
you get through that? And and you know, get on
the other side of it and still stay positive and
still enjoy life. You know, it's They're great. The crotchets
are the heart of the story, I really.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Think, absolutely and have faith in humanity or faith at
all and anything after.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
That, yep, exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Oh, let's talk about the costumes in the staging all.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
They's just amazing. They're amazing. There's so much spectacle. My costume,
by the way, is fabulous.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
It's so fabulous.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It's a joy to put it on every day. And
it's just it totally transforms you as an actor, how
you move. And I wish I could off the top
of my head. I can't remember the designer, but he
is this is He just really brings so much color
and spectacle and I feel like I'm yeah, I feel
(06:47):
like I'm a doll. I mean. And if people come
see the show, they'll they'll understand the connection there, right,
because there there is a prop that that is an
important prop in the show that that my costume kind
of mimics and yeah, it's just and the wig. I've
got this gorgeous white wig with a crystal tiara and
(07:11):
it's just magical. It feels otherworldly. It just transports me.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Wow, that's so wonderful. Tell me, are you from here?
Did you grow up in Connecticut?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
No, I didn't grow up in Connecticut. I'm an upstate
New Yorker Albany area, but I have lived in Connecticut
the majority of my adult life. I raised my kids
in new Haven, Connecticut. My husband is affiliated with Yale University,
so I do spend a lot of time in new Haven,
and that has been great for me because Hartford is
really right up the street for me, and it's one
(07:42):
of the reasons why I have been able to do
a Christmas Carol for so many years because of its proximity,
and I'm very grateful for that.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
What is your favorite part of the show besides your own?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
What is my favorite part of the show. I do
love the apparitions. I think they're magical. I love how
they're staged. I do love like there's a particular the
ghost of Christmas presence entrance is I think so spectacular. Yeah,
I would say that those are probably my favorite moments,
but I just I love the entire show. It's one
(08:15):
of those things that I never tire of. In fact,
my husband has never tired of it. I think it
comes and sees it two three times a season, you know.
And I've been in it for twenty years, so he's
seen it quite a few times. And I can sit
in the audience and watch and laugh and be mesmerized.
Even though I have been doing this for so long,
(08:38):
I just never tire of it.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
No, and again, you and I could say it till
we're blue in the face, until you go and see
it with your own eyes, then you will truly understand.
And then you're going to make it a tradition like
everybody else and go every single year. What age do
you deem appropriate for children to attend, you know, that is.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
An interesting question. I would say you have to be
very cognizant of your own child, you know. I would
venture to say that there are some five year olds
that can handle it, but I would probably go towards
more the eight year old. But it really it's so
dependent on the kid. I wouldn't say under four, you
know that it could be too scary. The sound is
(09:17):
very loud too, and that could just be a little
bit scary. Fortunately, though, if there is any child that
does become frightened, you can bring that child into the
lobby and they have television screen out in the lobby
and the child can watch it from there, So you
remove the child from the actual event, but they can
still watch it from outside the theater. And in that case,
(09:41):
you know, the child is also going to see people
making crossovers running from side to side of the theater
because we often use the lobby to do so, and
sometimes those are some of the ghosts. So I know
a lot of times ghosts have seen children out there
and they've actually remove their masks to make sure the
(10:02):
children know that they are just people, they're just pactors
and it's nothing to be scared of. And I think
that that's a really beautiful gift to give that kid
to to you know, to make sure that they're comfortable
and welcome them into the theater because sometimes this is
the first show any child has ever seen, so we
want to make sure that they enjoy it and feel safe.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
As well as sensory friendly performances that you have for
maybe someone on the spectrum or whatever's going on with them.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Yes, and those are some of our favorites too. It's
just such a gift for us as performers to be
able to share this story with people who might generally
not be able to go to the theater. And I
love the way Hartford Stage handles that they keep the
house lights dim so they're never in complete darkness. They
mute the sound a little bit so it's not quite
(10:54):
so loud. They also have people on the sides that
hold lanterns so that when it's scary part is coming,
to hold up a lantern to allow the audience to know, Okay,
a little scary part is coming, so just you know,
be ready. So by giving them that warning, they may
be able to handle it a little bit better. It's
(11:14):
really a wonderful night. Oh.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I just love Hartford Stage. It's just such a hidden
gem that people don't realize. You don't need to go
to New York City. We have it right here.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah, the quality is amazing and the work is just spectacular.
I agree with you completely.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
I'm speaking with Rebecca Jones, Ghost of Christmas Past again.
It's a Christmas Carol, a Ghost Story of Christmas. November
twenty second through December twenty eighth. You can go to
Hartford Stage dot org to get your tickets to read
more about it. Rebecca, I'm so excited to see you.
Thank you so much for being here today.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
It was absolutely my pleasure and I look forward to
seeing you and all of your guests that not want
to come, because it's worth going to
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Merz. My guest this morning is Rebecca Jones.
She stars as Ghost of Christmas Past and a Christmas Carol,
A Ghost Story of Christmas at Hartford Stage. Good morning,
good morning, thank you for having me my pleasure. So
I am one of those people who's seen it eight
(00:21):
million times. I saw it when it was with Bill Raymond,
a thousand times, when Michael Wilson originally directed it, and
now he's back. We have so much to talk about.
It's so exciting.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yes, yes, and you have done seen me eight thousand.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
This is my twenty first year doing a Christmas Carol.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Holy cow, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I know it is, it is. I'm very lucky. It's
been a wonderful ride. I've had the opportunity to play
many different characters and work with many different fabulous actors
as you said, Bill Raymond and Bill Coox, and I mean,
it's just it's been such an experience and for me
a part of my holiday, I mean really really a
(01:09):
solid part of my holiday, my family holiday. Yeah. I
can't imagine my adult life without it at this point.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Tell me, is this your first time as the Ghost
of Christmas Past. Or you've done that as well.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Nope. I did the Ghost of Christmas Past for several
years as an understudy under the wonderful Joanna Morrison. She
was just so beautiful and fabulous in that role, and
then I took it over. Goodness gracious, the years kind
of start to lend, you know. I think I think
I took her over in twenty seventeen or twenty eighteen.
(01:45):
I'm not sure which year it is. So I've done
it for several years. Obviously, there was the COVID period
which put us all on hiatus, but I did do
her as my primary role for a couple of years
prior to that.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
So I've seen you and you are just as beautiful,
just as talented.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Yeah, really, I mean, for anybody who hasn't seen it,
the show is just breathtaking on so many different levels.
Let's talk about a Christmas Carol. It's not your typical
a Christmas Carol.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
No. Michael Wilson did an incredible job adapting this. He
uses a lot of Dickens' language, so you would recognize
a lot of the dialogue that happens between some of
the main characters, but he also infused it with his
own creativity and added the elements of the three Vendors,
which he borrowed from the Wizard of Oz. Believe it
(02:36):
or not, it's kind of an interesting time right now
with Wicked being so popular that this adaptation, in fact
that Michael wrote I think gosh back what he was
in his twenties, you know, back in the eighties or
something like that, was borrowed from the Wizard of Oz.
So it's that's particular story and how it has had
an impact on so many different Wicked and now you
(03:01):
have this adaptation of a Christmas carol with that component.
It's really amazing.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So for those who don't know, it's not a musical.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Nope, but it does have musical components, right, there is
some musical I mean, and the score for it by
John Gramatta is remarkable and beautiful. And there's a lot
of dancing in it too, right, there's a lot of
intrigue with the apparitions, and so while it may not
be a full on musical, there are some components to it.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yes, and as you mentioned the apparitions, I remember I'm
a grown woman sitting first of all, there isn't a
bad seat in the entire place at Hartford Stage. It's
absolutely beautiful. But I think I was like right there
on the edge of the stage and the apparitions came
out an area I'm a grown woman. I was like,
oh wow.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yep, yep, yep. And I love that element of it,
The spooky ghost story side of it is, I think
so exciting and fun and it's so wonder when we
do the matinees for the school age children, their their
joy and they're they're they're so vocal when all of
those ghosts come up and and they're just so excited.
(04:11):
It gives it gives us as performances a performer is
a big boost.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Oh yeah, you don't want an audience that just sits
there staring like you love the facial expressions and the
oohs and ahs. I could sit next to a child
in any kind of film or theater and just get
the biggest kick out of everything that comes out of
their mouths.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like you're you're seeing the show through.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Them, yes, yes, without giving away the show. What do
you hope that people take away with them?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Well? The story is so classic right in the arc
of redemption. You know, we we all go through life
and we make choices, and sometimes, you know, those choices
may not be the best choices, but we can always
look for alternatives, look for forgiveness, look for look to
make different choices, you know, and we can we can
(05:01):
hope that for the people in our lives as well too.
I think it's it's a story of community and how
I mean, in the in the play itself, you've got
a whole community of characters that are kind of surrounding
screwed right and trying to help him through this journey
of perhaps viewing life in a different way and reaching
(05:22):
out to people and and seeing joy and community and forgiveness.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, yeah, I was going to say, and forgiveness too,
on the part of Cratchett.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yes, Bob Cratchett. With Bob Cratchett, Yes, absolutely, And and
Bob Cratchett is such a fascinating character in him in
It's in himself, because he's so optimistic and he wants
to see the good in people, and and he is
he is struggling, you know, he's struggling with a family
(05:52):
one with an illness and how do you how do
you get through that? And and you know, get on
the other side of it and still stay positive and
still enjoy life. You know, it's They're great. The crotchets
are the heart of the story, I really.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Think, absolutely and have faith in humanity or faith at
all and anything after.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
That, yep, exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Oh, let's talk about the costumes in the staging all.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
They's just amazing. They're amazing. There's so much spectacle. My costume,
by the way, is fabulous.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
It's so fabulous.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
It's a joy to put it on every day. And
it's just it totally transforms you as an actor, how
you move. And I wish I could off the top
of my head. I can't remember the designer, but he
is this is He just really brings so much color
and spectacle and I feel like I'm yeah, I feel
(06:47):
like I'm a doll. I mean. And if people come
see the show, they'll they'll understand the connection there, right,
because there there is a prop that that is an
important prop in the show that that my costume kind
of mimics and yeah, it's just and the wig. I've
got this gorgeous white wig with a crystal tiara and
(07:11):
it's just magical. It feels otherworldly. It just transports me.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Wow, that's so wonderful. Tell me, are you from here?
Did you grow up in Connecticut?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
No, I didn't grow up in Connecticut. I'm an upstate
New Yorker Albany area, but I have lived in Connecticut
the majority of my adult life. I raised my kids
in new Haven, Connecticut. My husband is affiliated with Yale University,
so I do spend a lot of time in new Haven,
and that has been great for me because Hartford is
really right up the street for me, and it's one
(07:42):
of the reasons why I have been able to do
a Christmas Carol for so many years because of its proximity,
and I'm very grateful for that.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
What is your favorite part of the show besides your own?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
What is my favorite part of the show. I do
love the apparitions. I think they're magical. I love how
they're staged. I do love like there's a particular the
ghost of Christmas presence entrance is I think so spectacular. Yeah,
I would say that those are probably my favorite moments,
but I just I love the entire show. It's one
(08:15):
of those things that I never tire of. In fact,
my husband has never tired of it. I think it
comes and sees it two three times a season, you know.
And I've been in it for twenty years, so he's
seen it quite a few times. And I can sit
in the audience and watch and laugh and be mesmerized.
Even though I have been doing this for so long,
(08:38):
I just never tire of it.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
No, and again, you and I could say it till
we're blue in the face, until you go and see
it with your own eyes, then you will truly understand.
And then you're going to make it a tradition like
everybody else and go every single year. What age do
you deem appropriate for children to attend, you know, that is.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
An interesting question. I would say you have to be
very cognizant of your own child, you know. I would
venture to say that there are some five year olds
that can handle it, but I would probably go towards
more the eight year old. But it really it's so
dependent on the kid. I wouldn't say under four, you
know that it could be too scary. The sound is
(09:17):
very loud too, and that could just be a little
bit scary. Fortunately, though, if there is any child that
does become frightened, you can bring that child into the
lobby and they have television screen out in the lobby
and the child can watch it from there, So you
remove the child from the actual event, but they can
still watch it from outside the theater. And in that case,
(09:41):
you know, the child is also going to see people
making crossovers running from side to side of the theater
because we often use the lobby to do so, and
sometimes those are some of the ghosts. So I know
a lot of times ghosts have seen children out there
and they've actually remove their masks to make sure the
(10:02):
children know that they are just people, they're just pactors
and it's nothing to be scared of. And I think
that that's a really beautiful gift to give that kid
to to you know, to make sure that they're comfortable
and welcome them into the theater because sometimes this is
the first show any child has ever seen, so we
want to make sure that they enjoy it and feel safe.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
As well as sensory friendly performances that you have for
maybe someone on the spectrum or whatever's going on with them.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Yes, and those are some of our favorites too. It's
just such a gift for us as performers to be
able to share this story with people who might generally
not be able to go to the theater. And I
love the way Hartford Stage handles that they keep the
house lights dim so they're never in complete darkness. They
mute the sound a little bit so it's not quite
(10:54):
so loud. They also have people on the sides that
hold lanterns so that when it's scary part is coming,
to hold up a lantern to allow the audience to know, Okay,
a little scary part is coming, so just you know,
be ready. So by giving them that warning, they may
be able to handle it a little bit better. It's
(11:14):
really a wonderful night. Oh.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I just love Hartford Stage. It's just such a hidden
gem that people don't realize. You don't need to go
to New York City. We have it right here.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah, the quality is amazing and the work is just spectacular.
I agree with you completely.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
I'm speaking with Rebecca Jones, Ghost of Christmas Past again.
It's a Christmas Carol, a Ghost Story of Christmas. November
twenty second through December twenty eighth. You can go to
Hartford Stage dot org to get your tickets to read
more about it. Rebecca, I'm so excited to see you.
Thank you so much for being here today.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
It was absolutely my pleasure and I look forward to
seeing you and all of your guests that not want
to come, because it's worth going to
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.