Bryan Cranston will step into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge for one night only on Dec. 17, 2026, leading a star-studded staged reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank. The 7 p.m. performance pairs Cranston with Jean Smart as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Noah Wyle as Fred, and Connor Tomlinson as Bob Cratchit, with all proceeds benefiting The Ed Asner Family Center.
According to a release detailed by prnewswire.com, Bryan Cranston will take on one of literature's most iconic roles, Ebenezer Scrooge, in a one-night-only live staged reading. The intimate performance will take place before an audience of just 75 guests, the same release notes, making the in-person seats among the most exclusive holiday tickets in Los Angeles this year. Time Out also reported that the cast includes Clancy Brown, Dorian Harewood, Samantha Sloyan, Tal Anderson, Chelsea Darnell and Spencer Harte rounding out the ensemble.
Tom Bergeron will host and narrate the evening, a detail confirmed by BroadwayWorld, which lists him simply as Narrator in the production's billing. Victor Nelli, who also directed the organization's 2025 holiday table read, will helm this production as well.
A Radio-Play Take on a Holiday Classic
Rather than a traditional stage production, the show will be presented as a radio play, complete with live music and a Foley artist generating sound effects in real time. That format comes straight from the production's own description, as reported by mynewsla.com, which describes the performance as staged in the style of a radio play, featuring live music and a Foley artist. The Ed Asner Family Center's holiday fundraisers have included a 2025 table read of It's a Wonderful Life that streamed exclusively on Broadway Unlocked.
This year's Christmas Carol reading will also stream live worldwide exclusively through Broadway Unlocked, giving fans outside Burbank a way to watch the cast perform in real time. Streaming access opens well before showtime: a special 24-hour $20 streaming ticket presale begins Saturday at noon Pacific time, with the price rising to $25 afterward. In-person tickets, by contrast, run $500 and include the performance along with holiday-themed food and drinks before and after the show, plus a curated gift bag, limited strictly to the 75-seat room.
Honoring Vicki Dummer and Supporting Neurodivergent Families
The evening will also honor Vicki Dummer, head of current programming at Warner Bros. Discovery, for her commitment to inclusive storytelling and the neurodivergent community. The tribute underscores the night's dual purpose as both entertainment and fundraiser for an organization built around disability advocacy.
The Ed Asner Family Center was co-founded by Navah Paskowitz-Asner and Matthew Asner, and the organization supports neurodivergent individuals and their families through mental health services, arts and enrichment programs, social opportunities and employment pathways. The group has made star-powered holiday readings something of an annual tradition; its fifth annual celebrity table read of It's a Wonderful Life in 2025 featured Ben Stiller, Martin Short, Michael Shannon and cast members of Love on the Spectrum, with all proceeds going directly to support the center's programs for individuals with special needs and their families.
This year's Christmas Carol event will be an in-person evening capped at 75 guests inside the Garry Marshall Theatre. With Bryan Cranston anchoring the cast alongside Jean Smart and Noah Wyle, organizers appear to be betting that scarcity, star power and a classic Dickens tale will drive both ticket sales and donations to the center's mission.
