The Hobnob Theater Company is putting a new twist on an old classic.

“After five successful runs of the traditional 'A Christmas Carol' script, Hobnob wanted to produce a fresh take on the inspirational Christmas story,” explained Hobnob's Liz Smith.

Eric Cook, who also wrote “Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of the Grotesque” for Hobnob, was employed for the task.

After a one-year hiatus from staging the original Charles Dickens story, Hobnob is launching “The Vaudeville Christmas Carol Extravaganza!” based on the holiday classic.

“The script is brand new, takes place in the vaudeville era at the Lyric Vaudeville Theater in Butler, Pa., during WWI,” said Smith.

The playwright Cook grew up in Worthington and drew from actual vaudeville performers to create the fictional characters in the play.

Taking on the role of the Scrooge-like character is David Skeele of Slippery Rock.

“C.D. Hawtry is the tyrannical manager of a vaudeville house in 1917 Butler,” said Skeele.

“He is a man who once labored in the theater for the joy of it, but has long since lost that joy. He is focused on one thing only — his profit margin — and anyone who is in it for any other reason is a romantic fool,” Skeele said of his character.

In classic Scrooge fashion, he thinks he is surrounded by incompetents who are costing him money and he's not shy about letting them know it.

“I do love playing someone who is Scrooge-like, but isn't Scrooge. It allows me to dispense with some of the crotchety Victorian cliches, while still getting to experience that beautiful spiritual transformation,” Skeele said.

Though he's never acted in 'A Christmas Carol' before, he has directed it twice.

“I really admire the adventurous spirit of Ken and Liz Smith and the entire Hobnob Theatre Company. So when the opportunity came up, taking it was a no-brainer,” he said.

The role of the Bob Cratchit-like character Thomas Burkett is being played by Casey Bowser.

“Burkett is C.D. Hawtry's right hand man. He helps with the day to day tasks of running a vaudeville variety show,” Bowser explained.

“Freezing theaters, low pay and a temperamental, miserly boss are just a few of the things that Burkett has to navigate on any normal day,” he added.

Bowser was interested in doing a show that no one has produced before. “It's a brand-new work, that gives the classic tale of the 'Christmas Carol' a new spin. It's got all your favorite moments but presented in new packaging,” he said.

The updated version has much of what made the classic a success. The new perspective might be encouraging for those who've lost sight of what Christmas is about.

“Small changes and acts of kindness can greatly influence your perspective. You don't have to be visited by ghosts or spirits to go through this change. It can be recalling a cherished memory or working to forgive a perceived slight; these things can go a long way in a person living a happier life,” Bowser said.

Gregg Crawford is the only veteran of the Hobnob's Christmas production, and he will star as Vesta T. Hopewell.

“I am a down-and-out relative of Mr. Burkett,” Crawford said of his role. “I've lost my work with other companies, and I turn up unexpected asking for his help. My character then plays the character of Christmas Past in our troupe's show within the show — 'A Christmas Carol,'” said Crawford, who appeared as Scrooge in Hobnob's 2015 production.

When she's not helping produce this new venture with her husband, Ken, Liz Smith is acting in this show. Ken is also directing the show.

“On stage, I am Henrietta, who might translate to the audience as the Mrs. Cratchit character from the original,” Smith said.

“My husband, played by Shaun Donovan, and my son, played by my in-real-life son, Adam Smith, and I make up the Smashing Sampsons, a trio who performs comical vaudeville acts based on Buster Keaton and his parents,” explained Smith.

After directing the show for the last five seasons, Liz Smith said she is glad to be taking on an acting role in this production.

“The beloved ghosts from Dickens' Christmas classic find themselves re-entering a world 100 years later to give the same lesson to another Scrooge. Part Christmas classic, and part new Christmas story, you will definitely feel like you've seen 'A Christmas Carol,' but with a new twist,” said Smith.

In addition to Skeele, Bowser and Smith, the cast includes Heidi Nicholls, Greg Crawford, Sarah Altomari and Sarah Altomari.

WHAT: “Vaudeville Christmas Carol Extravaganza!”WHO: Hobnob Theatre CompanyWHEN: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14 and 15 and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 16WHERE: Succop Theater at Butler County Community CollegeTICKETS: $10 for adults and $5 for children, available at May’s Music Shoppe or at www.hobnobtheatre.com