by ELIZABETH BRIGNAC | photos by JENN McKINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY
He’s back! To the surprise of many—including himself—Ira David Wood III (who goes by David) returns to the cast of Theatre In The Park’s “A Christmas Carol” this holiday season. David’s son, Ira David Wood IV (who goes by Ira), will continue to play Ebenezer Scrooge, the pivotal character he settled into for the long haul last year. David, who played Scrooge for 50 remarkable years, will take on the part of the Lamplighter.
David’s new role fits well with his enduring connection with “A Christmas Carol.” The Lamplighter narrates and frames the story, with a hint of a storyteller’s magic incorporated into the role, and David has been the driving storyteller behind the musical since before it opened in 1974. In addition to playing Scrooge, he adapted Charles Dickens’ timeless novel into the musical and has directed it every year.
When he retired from playing Ebenezer Scrooge in 2023, David thought his relationship with the musical as a performer was over. “I really thought that was going to be it. I would direct the show for as long as my health held up,” he says, but he didn’t expect to perform again. But after having a heart attack followed by major heart surgery in the fall of 2024, he reevaluated. “I think it’s healthy to say, ‘No, you don’t have all the time in the world, so you want to spend time doing what you love to do,’” he says. “And I love this show. It’s been a part of my life for most of my life, and to have my family involved with me on and off stage is one of the greatest blessings in the world.”
“I get to be with the cast again,” he adds. “I get to feel that feeling.”
A FAMILY AFFAIR
While David has been the time-honored creative force behind “A Christmas Carol,” other members of the Wood family have made their marks on the production. Ira’s vision has been central to the show’s creative development because he plays Scrooge and is the artistic director for Theatre In The Park. David emphasizes that he and Ira are partners in terms of bringing creative input to the musical.
David’s daughter, award-winning film and television actress Evan Rachel Wood, has played The Ghost of Christmas Past several times over the years. David’s younger son, Thomas (13), has played various roles. This year, he appears as Peter Cratchit, Tiny Tim’s older brother.
Thomas, who made his theater debut as a baby in The Lost Colony’s eponymous production playing infant Virginia Dare, appreciates the opportunity to perform alongside his father and his brother. “I love standing on the stage with both of them,” he says. He hopes to be involved with the production as long as he can, and he is dreaming big.
At Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Ira (left) and Thomas (middle) listen as David (right) reads from “A Christmas Carol,” the story he adapted into a successful musical.
“He asked not long ago, ‘How old do I have to be to take over from Bubba?’ That’s what he calls Ira,” David says. “We may have another Scrooge here!” Thomas wants to follow in his family’s footsteps and pursue a career in acting.
Extended members of the Wood family have influenced the show as well—including one who passed away before the musical was written. David’s father, who died when David was young, inspired a lullaby that Bob Cratchit sings to Tiny Tim in Act One.
David wrote the lullaby while working with colleagues. It was the final song he wrote for the musical in the 1970s. “I said, ‘I want to write a lullaby for Bob Cratchit, something that any parent would sing to their child.’ And my dad died when I was 12, so they were words I never really got to hear,” he says. “His picture was hanging on the wall above the piano where I was seated. I just looked up at his face, and the words just came so easily. ‘One day, my son, when you’re grown, you will remember all the happy times you and your dad have known …’”
David describes the lullaby scene, which takes place in Tiny Tim’s bedroom: “Bob Cratchit is tucking Tiny Tim in his bed. And the last time I saw my dad, he tucked me in bed when I was 12 years old. That was the last time, and when he walked out of the room, I never saw him again. So that scene, to me, is my dad’s annual visit at Christmastime.”
FAMILIES ACROSS THE COMMUNITY
The Wood family isn’t the only one with generations invested in “A Christmas Carol.” Many families return each year as part of their annual holiday celebrations. Being a part of these traditions means a lot to David.
“One night, when I was [playing] Scrooge, I looked out into the audience,” he says. “And on the front row, I saw a grandfather, a son and a grandson sitting together … when Bob Cratchit started singing that song (the lullaby), the grandfather reached out and touched his son’s shoulder, and they both looked at the grandchild, and just made contact, just physical contact … to me, that was the gift. They realized the gift they had.”
Some new families have begun with “A Christmas Carol.” “So many people have found their significant others in the show. And I think we’ve had four or five marriage proposals on stage,” David says. “We’ve even had a wedding on stage. We incorporated it. It took five minutes. Scrooge was the flower girl. I stood there with the bouquet of flowers, and the bride came down the aisle in a wedding gown, went up on a stage, and married a guy who was in the cast of the show.”
A family with an even longer generational link to “A Christmas Carol” than the Woods’ has also enjoyed the musical. Gerald Dickens, Charles Dickens’ great-great-grandson, once came to see it.
“He said, ‘I quite enjoyed it. It’s marvelous,’” David recalls. “And he said, ‘However, I think there was a small problem.’ I said, ‘Well, what was that?’ He said, ‘I think Charles would have wanted to play your role!’”
Since its debut in 1974, “A Christmas Carol” has been the Woods’ holiday hallmark. Ira has taken over the role of Scrooge, while Thomas appears as Peter Cratchit this year.
CHILDHOOD ACROSS GENERATIONS
When adults attend “A Christmas Carol” with their children and grandchildren, David believes, they reclaim a sense of holiday magic they have lost with the years.
“If you want to see something incredible, look behind the eyes of the adults on Christmas morning, sitting on the sofas watching their kids opening presents and playing on the floor in front of the tree,” he says. “They want that feeling again, and they could have it if they moved from the sofa to the f loor, but that distance is so difficult to maneuver— not just physically, but inside your heart and your head … all of those things have gone into the making of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ And the moments that are, I think, the soft moments, the sweet moments—in some cases, the bittersweet moments—we treat very lovingly.”
In many ways, David has always been the Lamplighter of “A Christmas Carol.” He has spent his entire adult life lighting the stage, reawakening magic in adults as they enjoy the musical with younger generations. “We have no claim on the future,” David states. “We have wishes and dreams, but that’s way out ahead. What we have are memories of Christmas past, and those memories are always tied up with loved ones who are no longer with us, or a time that vanished, that we wish we could go back and have again.”
That sense of connection with loved ones, both in the present and of the past, is the bittersweet magic of the holiday season—and what the cast and crew channel into each performance of “A Christmas Carol.” Perhaps that’s why so many families come back together to enjoy the musical each year—and to hear “Bah! Humbug!” turn into a beacon of joy.
“A Christmas Carol” takes place December 5–7 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium and December 10–14 at the Durham Performing Arts Center. To view showtimes and purchase tickets, visit theatreinthepark.com.
Best known for his iconic portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge, Ira David Wood III rejoins the cast this December as the whimsical Lamplighter.