It's impossible to imagine the holiday season without A Christmas Carol. The Charles Dickens novella, which has since been adapted to just about every imaginable format in the last 100-plus years, is a Christmas ur-text — a piece of fiction that is not just part of our seasonal traditions but foundational to them. Given that, it's a difficult task to breathe new life and energy into the work. But a new production, as adapted by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and originally directed by Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical), knows how to keep Christmas well. Bradley Whitford currently leads a touring production of the Tony-winning adaptation at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theater and his Ebeneezer Scrooge is a wonder to behold. Whitford gives the famous miser a richly layered and complex shading, giving him a wry and knowing sensibility even in his most curmudgeonly moments. Whitford's interpretation of Thorne's script bring Scrooge's childhood wounds to the surface in compelling ways that make him so much more than a guy who likes to shout "Bah, Hambug." He's particularly marvelous when it comes to Scrooge's redemption and transformation, laying bare the hurt and lost little boy in his soul. His radiant joy when he realizes he hasn't missed Christmas and endeavors to set things right is practically beatific. Whitford infuses Scrooge's shift with an erratic, ecstatic exultation that sparks from him like a live-wire and provokes plenty of warm laughter, as both he and the audience are in on the sheer audacity and absurdity of this second chance. But he wisely balances that frenetic energy with an emotional resonance that acknowledges the mystery and the miracle of Scrooge's journey. Whitford rivals Michael Caine in his portrayal, lending Scrooge both a gravity and a twinkle in his eye that makes him easy to root for. Whitford is backed up by an extraordinary ensemble who bring the proceedings to rapturous life with a score of gloriously arranged Christmas carols and a winning musicality. Alex Newell and Kate Burton do some heavy lifting as the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Past respectively. Newell lays it on a bit thick, his thick Caribbean patois verging into caricature at times. But his singing voice is so resplendent it's hard to mind.