Alternative to Dickens: "A Civil War Christmas"

Ten years ago playwright Paula Vogel was having coffee with a friend and discussing the limited fare for Christmas productions. Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol," seemed to be the singular choice. An American alternative began to form in her mind, something centered on the American Civil War.

Those thoughts have come together as, "A Civil War Christmas," which will open on Nov. 26 at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven and run through Dec. 21.

The play includes vignettes of the President and Mrs. Lincoln going over their gift list, a surprise meeting between a Confederate and Union soldier and a slave escaping to freedom. This is Vogel's answer to the Dickens classic.