In Ebeneeza - A Hartford Holiday Carol, HartBeat Ensemble tells a local story of the old miser’s path to rediscovering humanity.  Set in present day Greater Hartford, Ebeneeza seeks to provide some current answers to the classic question of Dickens’ enduring morality play; how does a heart become so hardened?  In keeping with HartBeat  tradition, the words and concepts of Ebeneeza  come from interviews with citizens of the Greater Hartford community.  This show gives its audience views of Christmas feasts, Chanukah rituals and Kwanzaa celebrations.  It takes us from Ebeneeza’s childhood home on Front Street during the Depression, through the civil upheavals of the 60’s in the North End of Hartford and into the Greater Hartford suburbs of the 80’s.

Photo credits for this website include:

Larry Bilansky

Jean Molodetz

Set in modern-day Hartford, Ebeneeza is a multi-cultural retelling

of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

“The most special of all the holiday seasons I’ve ever known.  Everything all bunched up together. There’s power in the air. Can’t you feel it?  Something special going to happen this weekend.  Christmas Eve, last night of Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice. Tomorrow we say Merry Christmas! And Kwanzaa starts on Sunday!”