NATCHEZ &045; The Natchez Little Theatre’s production of &uot;A Natchez Christmas Carol&uot; is going statewide.

Mississippi Public Radio will broadcast the holiday classic with a Natchez twist tonight from 9 to 11.

Theater Executive Director Layne Taylor said the publicity would be great for the theater and Natchez.

&uot;I’m so pleased that the theater is getting statewide attention,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;It’s because of the hard work of volunteers at the theater. It shows of the superior quality of our theater.&uot;

&uot;A Natchez Christmas Carol&uot; is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ &uot;A Christmas Carol.&uot; Taylor rewrote the performance with Natchez settings and Natchez references. The Natchez version is set just after the Civil War and includes references to Silver Street, Under the Hill and local churches among other things, Taylor said.

&uot;The old Dickens’ classic lent itself to Natchez,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;Our crowning moment in Natchez was that period.&uot;

The Natchez performance includes traditional hoopskirts and Civil War era clothing.

The radio broadcast will be the second time MPR has recorded a Little Theatre performance, the first was the &uot;Mississippi Medicine Show&uot; in the fall.

The radio crew recorded the performance from start to finish Saturday.

&uot;They attended just like the audience,&uot; Taylor said. &uot;They sat in the front row and the stage was lined with mikes.&uot;

MPR also did several interviews with cast members and Taylor.

Taylor said MPR has plans to record video and audio at future NLT performances.

The last performance of &uot;A Natchez Christmas Carol&uot; is slated for 8 p.m. Saturday, Christmas night. Taylor said more than 100 seats were still available.

The Christmas play is something Taylor said he plans to continue each year, with slight adjustments to the story each year.