In celebration of World Opera Day, Victorian Opera has announced a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.”

The production will come as part of the company’s 2022 season, featuring the music of composer Graeme Koehne, and libretto by Anna Goldsworthy. It will premiere at the Palais Theatre at St. Kilda in December 2022. This adaptation will see Scrooge, the ghosts, and the Cratchit Family transported to modern-day Melbourne in a reimagined telling of this beloved tale.

“It was a delight to be invited into this project,” said Goldsworthy in an official press statement. “I have fond memories of my previous collaboration with Victorian Opera, ‘The Magic Pudding,’ and tremendous admiration for Graeme Koehne, who is not only a dear friend and colleague but one of Australia’s most distinguished composers, marrying an instinctive lyricism to deep knowledge of craft. And Dickens’ message in ‘A Christmas Carol’ is both timeless and expansive, and readily incorporates the diversity and liveliness of contemporary Melbourne. This is an opportune moment for his call to our better selves.”

The company will announce the rest of its upcoming season on November 9, 2021.