Zach Handlen will play Ebenezer Scrooge for the first time in Lyric Music Theater’s version of “A Christmas Carol” this year. Photo by Sarah Kennedy

God bless us everyone, because Mainers can see four different adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” on local stages this season.

Each has its own flair. One is a musical with puppets. Another is a one-man show. But all feature a version of Ebenezer Scrooge, the central character who meets three ghosts during the course of the iconic tale. The four Scrooges shared their takes on the role and why this story is so enduring.

“A Christmas Carol” adapted by Christopher Schario, Public Theatre, Lewiston, Dec. 13-15, $15 to $35. thepublictheatre.org

Joel Leffert as Ebenezer Scrooge. Photo courtesy of the Public Theatre

Joel Leffert has done countless shows of “A Christmas Carol.” The New York-based actor has played the Ghost of Christmas Past and Bob Cratchit and, of course, Scrooge. He did two tours of the play through Europe in this role and a one-man version at Portland Stage. Such a classic part presents a welcome challenge for an actor, he said.

“You have to surprise people,” Leffert said. “You can’t fall into the trap of the cliché of ‘Bah! Humbug!’ ”

“It’s a matter of transformation,” Leffert said. “For an actor to have a chance to go on a journey that Scrooge goes on is a wonderful, affirming thing. You have to start in this place and end in this place, and the play throws you along on this river of emotion. It forces you to change. It forces you to find hope in a difficult time.”

He likes Schario’s take, a tradition at the Public Theatre. The story begins with a child who is reading the Charles Dickens novel in school and is then drawn into the action 150 years in the past.

“It adds a modern enthusiasm, a rediscovery of the text to the show because he is discovering it for the first time,” Leffert said.

“Humbug! A Spirited Christmas Carol Gone Wrong,” Footlights Theatre, Falmouth, Dec. 5-22, $20. thefootlightstheatre.org

This production isn’t quite “A Christmas Carol” – it is a play about production of “A Christmas Carol.” Set in the 1940s, the story follows a touring company of misfit performers who must put on their show despite a host of setbacks and without half their cast.

Julie Poulin as Ebonita Scrooge. Photo courtesy of Footlights Theatre

Julie Poulin has played many of the female parts in “A Christmas Carol,” including Fezziwig’s wife and Mrs. Cratchit. But she jumped at the chance to play the leading man – or, in this case, woman.

Her character is Maggie McGuire, a diva who is determined to have the lead role in this production. (Her reasoning? “I hate people, and I hate Christmas,” Poulin quoted from the show.)

“Be surprised that you’re going to laugh as much as you do,” Poulin said. “We still laugh it up at the end with all the classic feels. The cool part with ‘Humbug’ is not only does Ebonita learn the lesson, but Maggie learns the lesson as well.”

“A Christmas Carol: The Musical,” Lyric Music Theater, South Portland, Dec. 6-22, $25 to 30. lyricmusictheater.org

Zack Handlen’s childhood introduction to the Dickens story was “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” (At 45, he’s a little younger than the typical Scrooge. “We’re going to put some gray in my hair,” he said.) He’s never been in the show himself until now, and he described Scrooge as “a dream role.”

“One of the things that’s great about playing Scrooge is you get to be the world’s biggest jerk in the beginning and basically crazy with joy in the end,” he said.

Lyric Music Theater is putting on a musical version first developed by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens. The theater is using puppets to represent the three ghosts who visit Scrooge in the story, which Handlen said gives them an otherworldly feel. Those little details, he said, set one production apart from another.

“That’s one of the hard things about doing ‘A Christmas Carol,’ ” he said. “On the one hand, everybody does know it. On the other hand, everybody does know it. One of the ways a story like this can lose its power is that it becomes so familiar.”

“A Christmas Carol,” Footlights Theatre, Falmouth, Dec. 2-23, $20. thefootlightstheatre.org

Michael Tobin as Ebenezer Scrooge. Photo courtesy of Footlights Theatre

While multiple theaters are presenting their take on this story, Footlights is the only one to do two.

Executive artistic director Michael Tobin developed a one-man version of “A Christmas Carol” that has become an annual tradition at the theater. He plays all the characters, including Scrooge. He used to watch the 1951 movie “Scrooge” growing up and idolized Alistair Sim for his performance in the role. He tries to bring nuance to his own portrayal.

“I play Scrooge as someone who is misunderstood,” he said. “Sometimes the Scrooges are played very mean and heartless, and I’m not saying Scrooge isn’t heartless in his present state, but they go to the extremes. Some are so sugary sweet and cartoonish that you lose the heart.”

All the Scrooges said the story endures because it reminds us of the possibility for change.

“The message of love prevails,” Tobin said. “People can have a change of heart. They can find the good in their hearts, and love and cherish things in their lives.”

Here are some other quintessential stories and songs you can enjoy this holiday season in Maine:

Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn,” City Theatre, Biddeford, Dec. 6-22, $30. citytheater.org

Maine State Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Nov. 29-Dec. 8, $24 to $88. mainestateballet.org

“Sing We Noel,” Classical Uprising, concerts in Brunswick and Cape Elizabeth, Dec. 8 and 14, $5 for under 18 and $25 for adults. classicaluprising.org

“Home for the Holidays” concert series, Portland Conservatory of Music, Dec. 26-28, $29.50. porttix.com

Disney’s “Frozen: The Broadway Musical,” presented by Ogunquit Playhouse at Portsmouth Music Hall, Nov. 27 to Dec. 22. themusichall.org