A group of amateur actors mount a live radio show in a New Jersey broadcasting studio in “A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol” presented by Maui OnStage. Courtesy photo

Opening on Friday at the historic Iao Theater, Maui OnStage’s production of “A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol” promises a festive treat for the whole family.

It’s Christmas Eve in 1943, and the Feddington Players amateur actors are mounting a live radio show in a New Jersey broadcasting studio, presenting a unique version of Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.”

A sequel to the popular WWII musical “The 1940s Radio Hour,” “A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol,” takes audiences backstage to the radio program with jazzed-up carols, original songs, dancing and funny commercials for wartime favorites like Ting for pimples and Lucky Strikes (“join the fight for freedom by smoking Luckies”).

“It’s hysterical, very funny and very touching in places,” said Dale Button, the show’s director. “It’s a nice lift for Christmas.”

Combining drama and comedy, heartbreak and hope, productions of the show have been widely praised. The Denver Post called it “a charming crowd-pleaser.” Broadway World noted: “It’s a holiday show/history lesson/hilarious comedy all in one — fun for the whole family.”

With music director Vania Jerome and costume director Jennifer Oberg on board, the cast includes David Negaard as announcer Clifton Feddington, Ricky Jones as retired stage and screen star William St. Claire, Ikaika Raines as Charles “Cholly” Butts, Shane Borge as Fritz Canigliaro, who plays private eye character Rick Roscoe, Samuel Castillo as recent high school graduate “Little” Jackie Sparks, Amber Seelig as comedienne Margie O’Brien, and radio show regular Sally Simpson played by Nicole Belknap.

“The cast is amazing,” said Button. “It’s been fast. I was in tech rehearsals for ‘Rocky’ while I was doing auditions.”

Buttons made his directorial debut with MauiOnstage in 2007 with “You Can’t Take It With You.” He went on to direct shows such as “Run For Your Wife,” “Harvey,” “Wait Until Dark” and “Elf, the Musical.” As an actor, he played Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Monsieur Thenardier in “Les Miserables,” and Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.”

From a book by Walton Jones with music composed and arranged by David Wohl and lyrics by Faye Greenberg, Jones reported in an interview about “A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol” that he “wanted to write a sequel that would take the Feddington Players a year into their future, when the thoughts of WWII had become a little sadder because a longer conflict than originally hoped for seemed likely.”

“The assorted cast of characters gives us many moments of unexpected humor and touching camaraderie,” he said.

Depicting the chaotic and humorous mishaps of putting on a live radio show, Button explained the group of radio players normally “do a film noir thing of Rick Roscoe every Friday night. Last year at Christmas they did a ‘Silent Knife, Holy Knife.’ Now it’s Christmas Eve in 1943, and instead of doing their regular Rick Roscoe, they’ve decided to do a ‘Christmas Carol.’ They get an old retired actor to come in and play Ebenezer Scrooge. There’s a piano playing in the studio where they are, and things go terribly awry.”

Enhancing the live radio production are wondrous sound effects.

“The sound effects are going to be amazing,” he said. “That’s worth the price of admission to watch these people on a couple of tables make the sound of carriages and the horses clip-clopping and breaking glass and doors opening and closing. People walking upstairs, creaky doors. It’s going to be phenomenal.”

The audience has a role too.

“There will be applause signs and laughter signs,” said Button. “They’re literally the studio audience in the room with them watching their radio show.”

With a mix of classic Christmas carols and popular 1940s swing and holiday standards, the show also features the original songs “That Cute Little Elf (Second One from the Right),” “Newark” and “A Coconut Christmas.”

“A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol,” runs Friday through Sunday, Nov. 28-30 and Dec. 5-7. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $10-$45 at www.mauionstage.com.