Of the three great performing-arts Christmas traditions established in the final quarter of the 20th Century and endlessly flogged since, “A Christmas Carol” is the one with no definitive version.

Or, rather, the definitive version is not a play but instead a delightful novella by that master craftsman Charles Dickens who, despite a lifetime of effort, could never build a theatre piece that worked.

That hasn’t stopped the American theatre, certainly, where so very many managements have adapted the Dickens for the understandable purpose of cashing in on the nostalgia of the period.

But, where George Frideric Handel’s oratorio “The Messiah” exists in manuscript (whatever tinkering he did with it later) and Tchaikovsky’s score for “The Nutcracker,” plus a reasonably unbroken tradition of the original Petipa-Ivanov choreography, provides plenty for pillage by modern producers, there IS no “official” stage version of “A Christmas Carol.”

Personally, I prefer to read the thing over again in the comfort of a fireside chair, when I’m feeling the need of Scrooge and Tiny Tim. But I recognize that there is a market and I am always at least mildly interested in how it is served.

At the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, they’ve decided to be straightforward, efficient and careful in service of the work’s chief asset: the marvelous, evocative language.

They have an excellent Scrooge (Ron Choularton, a buoyant and appealing character man who’s always an audience favorite) the practical wizardry of house scenic designer Marty Burnett, a deft sound design by Chris Luessmann and an adaptation (by Jacqueline Goldfinger) more sensitive and attentive than most.

Supporting Scrooge is a company of 10, who play all the roles and take turns at the narrative. Von Schauer provides scenes of welcome gravitas as Old Marley and the Ghost of Christmas Present but everybody else, of necessity, rather blends together.

My principal complaint is the handling of the music. The idea of dipping into the deep and fertile supply of traditional Christmas music and training the ensemble to sing the selections a capella while shifting furniture and setting up the next scene is a fine and honorable approach.

But somebody needs to teach them how to sing the stuff. Simple harmonies and careful dynamics certainly isn’t beyond the skills of this cast but, too often, what actually happens is dull, unison affability. And Luessmann’s soundtrack lets some canned music creep into the mix, too.

Stephen Elton has staged the work with too much routine reverence for my taste. And when he does find a bit of cleverness, like Bob Cratchit being stuck by Scrooge’s pen point, he tends to repeat it four more times.

Michelle Hunt Sousa’s costumes generally fit the template though, as is just about always the case, she’s a few hats and mufflers and gloves short. Jason Bieber’s lighting design deserves credit for staying within appropriate limits.

For those who need to see this dear old Dickens displayed onstage, the NCR production should suffice. Ron Choularton sees to that.

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