He’s touched thousands over 24 years as Scrooge. Soon, KC actor takes his bow
Gary Neal Johnson’s last time is now. After this, you won’t see him anymore.
As Ebenezer Scrooge, that is.
Johnson’s been a mainstay around Kansas City’s live theater scene for 44 years, with 24 of those spent playing Scrooge, the main character in Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s rendition of the iconic Charles Dickens story, “A Christmas Carol,” which has become a KC holiday tradition.
The only times Johnson didn’t put on the hat was in 2009, when a musical version of “A Christmas Story” took over the stage, and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnson didn’t anticipate sticking around as Scrooge for this long. But, the directors all saw something in him that’s kept his Decembers busy every year.
“I figured that I’d there for three or four years like everybody else, and that wasn’t the case,” Johnson said. “And here we are.”
While he still loves playing Scrooge, the 75-year-old decided it was time to retire because he’s starting to find himself not being able to do the movements necessary to play Scrooge, like lifting the child actor playing Tiny Tim. He said he wanted to be gone before the list of what he can’t do becomes everything.
Gary Neal Johnson’s impact
One thing he’ll miss about Scrooge? Taking the main character’s famous journey of self-realization every night. It always brought him great joy to bring Scrooge to life, and despite the four-decade long career, he found himself learning something new each performance.
He’ll also miss interacting with the crowd. He usually got the night started on the right foot by badgering the attendees as they walk into the venue. Screaming and yelling at the crowd was the furthest from who he was outside the stage, but he said it was some of the most fun he’s had as an actor.
One of Johnson’s former cast members can testify to that.
Owen Winkler worked with Johnson on “A Christmas Carol” when he was 10 years old playing the role of Tiny Tim. Now 19 , Winkler said that while Johnson would play this grumpy old man on set , behind the scenes he was one of the nicest and most helpful people he’s ever met.
“(Johnson’s) really the exact opposite of Mr. Scrooge in real life,” Winkler said. “He’s a pretty positive dude and laughing and, joking around with everybody off set, so that was, that was always cool to see that he was able to get into that character so well.”
But Johnson won’t miss the long nights. From Halloween to New Year’s Eve, he’d spend many hours rehearsing with the cast and performing in front of hundreds six days a week. It’s a well-deserved break for one of Kansas City’s beloved figures, but it leaves KC Rep with big shoes to fill.
Matt Rapport, who played the role of The Ghost of Christmas Present in the play since 2019, has worked with Johnson for the past 14 years. Rapport’s father also starred in “A Christmas Carol” and worked with Johnson directly.
Like many in Kansas City, Johnson’s the only Scrooge Rapport knows. He said it’s going to be hard to imagine the show without him and was honored to work with him.
“Gary has been somebody that I have admired and viewed as a role model my entire life as an actor and certainly has a career that all actors can aspire to,” Rapport said. “I hope everybody that ever thought of Gary as their Scrooge gets a chance to come and see it and see him do it one more time.”
Johnson’s final show is Dec. 27, with a few tickets remaining for the final dates.
Johnson said many theater-goers have spoken to him about his longevity in the show.
“’You’re the only Scrooge my family knows, and we’ve come together every year for 25 years or more,’” Johnson said he’s heard from visitors. “That’s a treat, too. That’s fun to be thought of that way, frankly.”
The origins of Kansas City’s Ebenezer Scrooge
Johnson’s journey into the arts scene started when he was a child. His father worked for local television station KMBC and had access to discounted tickets at Starlight Theatre, so they often went to watch shows in the last row .
Johnson then joined his high school’s theater club, and kept the acting going into college at the University of Missouri-Columbia. A graduate from their school of journalism, he realized he wasn’t ready to be a reporter. So, he went back to school, enrolling at the University of Missouri-Kansas City to earn a master’s in theater .
He was recruited to perform for a dinner theater in the Kansas City area, where he stuck around for a few years before heading to Los Angeles to see if he could start a career in acting there. He said he came back home with “his tail proudly tucked between his legs,” and found himself with steady acting gigs around Kansas City.
“A Christmas Carol” wasn’t the only theater job he had, as he said he was working year-round in different productions. It did end up being his longest production, signing on at 32 years old as a helping hand.
He was the storyteller in the play for 14 years, who narrates throughout the play and speaks more than Scrooge. A new director took over the story in 2000 and had seen Johnson’s performances in all the plays at KC Rep in the year before. They asked him if he’d be interested in playing the character, and the rest is history.
During his time as Scrooge, Johnson would often take time during rehearsal to work with the child actors on their techniques, Rapport recalled, offering suggestions that would make it easier for them to settle into their roles since it could be frightening for them to be on stage in front of hundreds of people.
It’s among the little things that Rapport, Winkler and the thousands of actors impacted by Johnson will miss when he officially retires as Scrooge on Saturday, Dec. 27. You’ll more than likely see him around in public and if you do, he welcomes anyone stopping him to chat about the memories.
“If they remember me fondly for anything, I hope it’s for being a good actor and a good fella,” Johnson said. “I’d rather be remembered as a good guy who was a good actor than the other way around.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
