Charles Dickens at New Haven Museum: Riotous History and ‘A Christmas Carol’ Performance
The New Haven Museum will usher in the Christmas season with the return of two wildly popular programs focusing on Dickens—the author’s riotous historic visit to New Haven and a reading of his renowned work, “A Christmas Carol,” on Saturday, December 5, 2026. Entry for both events is free with regular museum admission.
The festivities will begin with a special “What’s in the Whitney Library?” program, “New Haven Holiday." Librarian Emma Norden will offer a glimpse of Christmas past from the Whitney Library collection from 12 to 4 p.m. Visitors will view a charming collection of holiday treasures—from handmade Christmas cards from the early 1900s to greetings from overseas soldiers during WW1. It will also include a fascinating article from the December 24, 1950, New Haven Register recounting Dickens’s 1868 Elm City reading of the “Christmas Carol,” replete with rioting crowds and a ticketing scandal so colossal that the entire appearance was rescheduled and re-ticketed.
At 2 p.m., visitors will gather in the auditorium for a one-man performance of Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” as performed by Michael Rose. Back by popular demand, Rose’s 90-minute cut of the perennial holiday favorite embodies over a dozen characters, from Ebeneezer Scrooge to Tiny Tim to the three ghosts of Christmas. The performance will be on Saturday, December 5, at 2 pm., with a reception at 1:30 p.m. Register here.
A New Haven-based actor and director, Rose studied theatre at Yale University and the London Academy of Musical and Dramatic Arts. He is known for his “Wheel of Outrageous Fortune” act, in which audience members spin a prize wheel of Shakespeare monologues to select which one he will perform. He also directs plays with residents of the Whitney Center Senior Living Community, including an intergenerational project that brings together elderly and teenage actors to perform scenes from Shakespeare. And, of course, audiences around the New Haven area love his one-man show of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Dickens holds a special place in Elm City history. On March 24, 1868, thousands filled the streets outside the former Tontine Hotel (corner of Church and Court) to get a glimpse of literary giant Charles Dickens. The crowd became so unmanageable that hotel management engaged “two stout porters” for crowd control, creating a much-needed barrier between the crowd and the famed author.
Today, “A Christmas Carol” is one of the most adapted of Dickens’s works, with versions ranging from the Muppets to David Sedaris. Rose notes that the show arose out of a tradition of him reading the novella out loud to his family at Christmas time—he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to share it with the public. Having seen a number of adaptations of “A Christmas Carol,” he wanted to create one that was very true to the original text.
“‘A Christmas Carol’ will always be relevant to people of any faith or background because it is about opening our heart to connection with others.” Rose says. “The tale’s spirit of open-heartedness and generosity is what I hope the public will take from the presentation.”
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