NILES — Trumbull New Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol — Scrooge and Marley” boasts a multi-generational cast, but it’s the two veterans playing the characters who get mentioned in the title that makes it so much fun.

Chuck Simon makes his TNT debut as Ebenezer Scrooge, but he’s appeared in more than 75 shows since 1990, according to his program bio. Simon said it was a role he always wanted to play, and he makes the most of it.

He’s clearly enjoying himself in the early scenes with each line directed at Bob Cratchit (Jacob Glosser) or his nephew (Jason Bowman) dripping with disdain as he dismisses their interest in anything besides money.

He bellows his “Bah, humbug,” and his embrace of the character at his worst makes his transition all the more satisfying.

Israel Horovitz’s adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ tale beefs up the role of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s former business partner who is the first apparition to visit him on Christmas Eve before the ghosts of Christmases past, present and future arrive.

Robert Spain plays him like a menacing sprite. He delights in frightening his old colleague while also trying to save his soul. The scenes where they get to play off one another crackle with energy, but Spain is just as entertaining in the scenes where he’s on the periphery, whether he’s mock conducting the carolers or sporting a wicked grin at whatever is happening in the foreground.

The show boasts a cast of more than 30 performers decked out in period attire, and director Melanie Lucas has them working together as a true ensemble

Lucas grew up doing this version of “A Christmas Carol” when it was a perennial at Kent State University at Trumbull. All the effort that went into tracking down the score created for the Kent-Trumbull production by Warren native Gary Boggess was worth it.

The musical cues set the tone for the production throughout, from festive to haunting, and the score is one of the show’s greatest assets.

I’ll confess, I’m one of those people who doesn’t want to hear any Christmas music until I’ve listened to “Alice’s Restaurant” on Thanksgiving day. Even then my seasonal soundtrack leans more toward The Pogues (“Fairytale of New York”) and Slack Jaw (“Christmastime in Painesville”) than “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

But the renditions of “Joy to the World,” “The First Noel” and other traditional carols are enthusiastically sung by the cast and work well within the context of the show, even though their primary purpose is to extend the running time of a show that might be less than 90 minutes without them and without an intermission.

If a Scrooge like me is saying nice things about hearing Christmas music the first weekend of November, TNT’s “Scrooge and Marley” could be as soothing as a marshmallow-topped mug of hot cocoa for those who started scanning the radio dial for the all-Christmas station before Halloween.

If you go …

WHAT: “A Christmas Carol — Scrooge & Marley”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 19

WHERE: Trumbull New Theatre, 5883 Youngstown Warren Road, Niles

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $17 for adults and $15 for students and are available online at trumbullnewtheatre.tix.com and by calling the TNT box office at 330-652-1103.