A Christmas Carol at the Woodland Opera House is heartwarming.

There are multiple versions of A Christmas Carol on the boards this month. So what makes this Woodland Opera House Theatre Company production different?

First, it’s a different script. This is the 1994 musical adaptation that originated in New York, with music by Alan Menken, who scored Disney’s Beauty and the Beast that same year. City Theatre has a new adaptation by local director Luther Hanson; and Scrooge at Chautauqua Playhouse is the 35th anniversary of local actor and director Rodger Hoopman’s adaptation.

Second, this Woodland version features veteran Rodger MacDonald as Scrooge. He’s done four summers with the Music Circus, and he’s starred in community musicals. We fondly recall MacDonald as corporate titan Caldwell Cladwell in River Stage’s Urinetown in 2007—especially the gleam in his eye as he urged his daughter to “step on the poor” to get ahead. In retrospect, that role was fine preparation for Scrooge, who says “If (the poor) would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Scrooge, unlike Cladwell, repents.

Third, the Woodland Opera House itself functions as a time machine: This lovingly restored 1890s venue, emulating English music halls of that era, lends authenticity and class.

Fourth, director Robert Cooner, conductor Dan Pool, choreographer Tim Stewart and costumer Denise Miles all made good choices. The gents grew real whiskers. The 10-piece orchestra sounds better than recorded synthesizers. The production numbers (with a huge cast) are fun. The kids are adorable, including second-grader D.J. Michel as Tiny Tim. And the ending remains heartwarming.