The American Conservatory Theatre, affectionately known as ACT, presents its 43rd iteration of A Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens’s classic fable about the perils of greed and selfishness. ACT’s production has garnered sufficient praise over the years to qualify as a San Francisco holiday tradition, right up there with the San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker, the Union Square festivities, and the lighting of Embarcadero Center.
Adapted by longtime former ACT artistic director Carey Perloff with Paul Walsh, this year’s direction by Peter J. Kuo and Pam MacKinnon is based on Perloff’s original direction, which stays true to the Dickens version. It features a cast of 40-plus, including adorable children, and the well-cast James Carpenter — who looks precisely how you would expect Ebenezer Scrooge to look — all in elaborate costumes, including green and spooky ghosts. A Christmas Carol, 405 Geary St., over 20 performances through Dec. 24; 415-749-2228, act-sf.org
