[From the 11/15 www.sfcv.org Music News] Carey Perloff, artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater, is prepararing the world premiere of a musical adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." It will replace the famous A.C.T. holiday cash cow that ran for the past three decades. Previews begin Nov. 26, the opening is on Dec. 2; a total of 33 performances in the Geary Theater accommodates an audience of 34,000 - a "really big show," bringing the first experience of live theater and music to thousands of youngsters, just as the San Francisco Ballet does, with the nation's oldest "Nutcracker." "Conservatory," of course, means any school specializing in one of the fine arts, but Perloff's theater company has aspects of a conservatory of music, with expanded musical training both in the company and in its school programs. The music connection is well proven by such past projects from the artistic director as "Black Rider," the 60-year-delayed world premiere of Marc Blitzstein's "No for an Answer" (with Michael Tilson Thomas), "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field" (commissioned from David Lang and employing the Kronos Quartet, with Julia Migenes), "Urinetown: the Musical," "Shockheaded Peter," "The Threepenny Opera," and original music used with many productions over the years. Perloff also stage-directed the San Francisco Opera Center's "Iphigenie in Aulis" and will direct the San Francisco Symphony's staged presentation of Stravinsky's "Oedipus Rex." "Christmas Carol" features an original score and songs by Karl Lundeberg, sets by Tony Award-winner John Arnone, costumes by Beaver Bauer, and choreography by Val Caniparoli. The adaptation is by Perloff and Paul Walsh. Music, Perloff says, is especially appropriate for the work because "Dickens is about transformation, and music conveys that economically and powerfully." Music suffuses "Christmas Carol" with songs, incidental music to serve as transition between 21 scenes, and Lundeberg even gave characters their own themes, a la the Wagnerian leitmotif. See www.act-sf.org. Janos Gereben www.sfcv.org [log in to unmask]