Actress Christine Baranski and Skylark vocal ensemble brought Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to life in the Great Hall of The Breakers on Friday evening, Dec. 19, melding storytelling with music in the grand setting of Newport’s most famous mansion.

Baranski is an Emmy and Tony Award-winner and a fan favorite as old-money matron Agnes van Rhijn in Julian Fellowes' "The Gilded Age," which has been filmed in several of The Preservation Society of Newport County’s historic house museums including The Breakers. Her narration of Dickens’ tale vividly portrayed its classic characters, from the miserly, misanthropic Ebenezer Scrooge to the mysterious ghosts who take him on a Christmas Eve journey through past, present and future.

Skylark, a Massachusetts-based choral group that has received four Grammy nominations for its recordings, completed the sound picture with carols and other traditional tunes, sung during pauses in the narration or in the background as Baranski spoke. The music reflected the moods of the story, such as the lively vocal jig that followed the scene where Fezziwig and his wife dance at a Christmas Eve party, or the Dies Irae chant for the dead that accompanied the story’s darkest moment when Scrooge witnesses his own mortal end.

The performance, before a sold-out audience of more than 200 people, took place on the anniversary of the first publication of “A Christmas Carol” in 1843.

Skylark was conducted by Artistic Director Matthew Guard, who also abridged and edited Dickens’ text. Benedict Sheehan produced the music based on carols and folksongs from England, Scotland, Wales and Germany.

This was Baranski’s second public appearance at the Newport Mansions owned by the Preservation Society. In August 2025 at The Elms, she spoke about her career and life in a wide-ranging conversation moderated by Jared Bowen of GBH’s “The Culture Show.”

For “The Gilded Age,” which has been renewed for a fourth season on HBO, she has filmed scenes at The Breakers, The Elms and Chateau-sur-Mer.

The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area's historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.

For more information, please visit www.NewportMansions.org.