Beloved writer Neil Gaiman will reprise his role as Charles Dickens for two nights only this holiday season. Presenting Dickens' original performance text version of A Christmas Carol, Gaiman will take to the stage of New York's Town Hall December 18 and 19.

This is the first time since 2013 that Gaiman has reprised his channelling of Dickens, when he appeared in character as the esteemed author for the New York Public Library. The 2013 reading was immensely popular, and audio of the event has become the most popular event download in NYPL history, now a Christmas staple.

As happened in 2013, the event at Town Hall will be introduced by historian Molly Oldfield, who will share the real history behind Charles Dickens' in-person dramatic readings.

Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in response to British social attitudes towards poverty, and used the novella as a means to put forward his arguments against it. Beginning in December 1853, Dickens performed his performance text version of the story more than 100 times to huge audiences, blurring the lines between a travelling show and the lecture circuit as he used the story of Ebenezer Scrooge to rally against institutional poverty.

Neil Gaiman as Charles Dickens: A Dramatic Reading of A Christmas Carol is presented by Show and Tell, which was founded by producer Sam Kinken.

For more information, visit TheTownHall.org.