Hale Centre Theatre's traditional production of A Christmas Carol will look and feel very different this year. But the show will go on. ---

Richard Wilkins -- a former BYU professor and actor (pictured, right) -- had played the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge for 27 years at Hale Centre, and was preparing for his 28th season, for which he returned to Utah from his new home in Doha, Qatar. But Wilkins passed away on Nov. 26 at the age of 59, less than two weeks before the show was scheduled to open.

That doesn't mean any cancellations, however. According to Hale Centre publicist Leigh Dethman, HCT's typically double-cast productions meant that David Weekes -- who has been part of HCT's A Christmas Carol productions for several years -- was already set for half of the performances. The production's director, John Sweeney, will play the role for the other performances. The show is set to run Dec. 8 - 22.