Scrooge, The Musical - 2005

Scrooge, the Musical
Runs Nov 25 thru Dec 18

With Christmas around the corner, one of the most beloved of holiday stories appears on the Theatre Guild stage in a musical version. Scrooge - The Musical, with book, music and lyrics written by Leslie Bricusse, is based on the Charles Dickens novella A Christmas Carol. It opens on Friday, November 25 and runs four weekends through December 18.

Scrooge first appeared as a film in 1970, starring Albert Finney as Scrooge. Leslie Bricusse was nominated for an Academy Award for Original Song Score for the film and for best original song with "Thank You Very Much." The movie then made its way onto the stage when Bricusse adapted it in 1998. This is what you'll see at the RTG: the familiar Dickens characters and the movie's catchy and tuneful songs.

The time is 1843, the setting is London, England, and the timing is the day before Christmas. The familiar story begins with miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in his countinghouse with his employee Bob Cratchit. Scrooge's nephew Harry stops in to invite his uncle to Christmas at his house. Scrooge, in no mood to celebrate anything other than making money, declines the invitation and sends Harry away. Then Cratchit asks for his pay and to have the next day off work.

While Cratchit and his children admire the shops decorated for the holidays, Scrooge heads out to demand repayment of money from all those who owe him, singing "I Hate People." He heads home to go to sleep, only to be visited by the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley. Marley tells him he will be doomed to suffer in the afterlife if he continues to pursue cheating and greediness. He tells Scrooge he will be visited that night by three ghosts.

The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his happier moments as a child and young man. The song "Happiness" is sung by a young Ebenezer in love. Then the Ghost of Christmas Present shows the miser the homes of Bob Cratchit and Scrooge's nephew. He sees how others celebrate the season with optimism and hope, revealed in the songs "Good Times" and "The Beautiful Day." Finally the dark and sinister Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears to show Scrooge that a heartless and lonely death awaits him. "Thank You Very Much" is sung by the townspeople, who are glad that Scrooge has died.

The next day Scrooge is delighted to see he hasn't missed Christmas Day, and he vows to reform, singing "I'll Begin Again." Everyone knows the upbeat ending, right to "God bless us, every one," from Tiny Tim.

Don't miss this sure-to-be-loved Christmas musical, which runs November 25 through December 18. For information or to reserve tickets, please call the Racine Theatre Guild Box Office at 262-633-4218. You'll want to bring the whole family to Scrooge-The Musical, with its message of putting emphasis on kindness and generosity rather than of materialism and greed.

From the Managing/Artistic Director - Doug Instenes

Begin Again, Bah Humbug

"Bah! Humbug!"Go ahead and say it. You know you want to. Now, don't you feel better?

We are all having fun working on Scrooge, because it allows us to express our innermost feelings in song. Let's be honest, don't we all have a little Scrooge in us? Guess what, our production can help you deal with these conflicting holiday emotions.

For example, every time I'm standing in a long line or in a crowded mall, I feel like breaking into song. "I Hate People" comes to mind.

My favorite song has a title that most guys can relate to, "It's Not My Fault."

Unfortunately, this musical also evokes sentiments we Scrooges want to suppress with warm and fuzzy songs like, "Good Times," "I Like Life," "Beautiful Day" and "Happiness." These songs tend to distract me from all those wonderful negative feelings.

No matter how hard I try, there is one song in our show that I just can't forget, one that Scrooge sings, "I'll Begin Again." It goes like this: "I'll begin again, throw away the past. I will change my fate and show the world that it's not too late, to start anew and make amends. And I will live my days for my fellow men, and live in praise of that moment when I was able to begin again."

We are often so busy that we need to be reminded of what is truly important in life. We all know that family, friends and faith are special, but we often take them for granted.

Let's all begin again and reconnect with what is truly important. And as the great poet Tiny Tim says, " God bless us every one..

Cast and Crew

Scrooge, the Musical

Book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

Based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

Cast
Ebenezer ........................... Scrooge Gary Stamm
Bob Cratchit ..................... Bob Benson
Mrs. Ethel Cratchit ............ Ellie Hammond
Harry/Young Scrooge ....... Nick Holub
Helen/Isabel ...................... Cynthia Schultz
Jacob Marley .................... Ron Halvorsen
Ghost, Christmas Past ....... Jamie Johnson
Ghost, Christmas Present .. Andy Hansen
Mr. Fezziwig ..................... Robert J. Hansen
Mrs. Fezziwig ................... Dawn Van Ess
Tiny Tim ........................... Connor Benson
Kathy Cratchit .................. Bailey Johnson
Peter Cratchit ................... Danny Pirtle
Martha Cratchit ................ Lauren Instenes
Belinda Cratchit ................ Erin Martin
Tom Jenkins ..................... Alexander Knapp
Ensemble ........
Heather Bumstead, Mike Pirtle, Charles Bauer-King, Shari Rasmussen, Robbyn Wilks, Rachael Caskey, Jerald Rogers, Karen Magee, Mark Geisler, Paula Martin, Steven Wright, Isaac Jundt, Kevin Sustachek, Samantha Sustachek, David Zimmerman, Anna Zahn, Mark Osmundsen, David Sanchez, Zachary Klemp, Katie Wright, Kate Meyer, Jamie Nichol, Jeselyse Klyzub Kalmar

Crew

Director ....................... Doug Instenes
Music Director ............. Greg Berg
Choreographer ............. Kara Ernst
Scenic Design ............... Charles Erven
Technical Director ..........Kurt Oian
Prod. Stage Mgr. .......... Amy Pirtle
Digital Orchestration ..... Oak Music
Stage Managers ............ Eric Guttenberg, Marge Henze
Assist. Stage Mgrs. ....... Emily Breiwick, Jeff Kauzlarich, Rose Bliss, Donna Nielsen, Katy Pirtle
Light Design .................. Michael Kurhajec
Light Technicians ........... Geoffrey Greeley, Ryan Christensen, Richard Cycenas
Sound Mixing ................ Eric Goodwin
Sound Technicians ......... Mona Lewis, Kristin Holmberg-Wright, Jeri Smith
Costume Design ............ Sharon Molina
Wardrobe Supervisors .. Kelli Kauzlarich, Nancy Schatzman
Props Chairs ................. Mary Kveton, Katie Kowbel, Teri Wilson
Makeup ........................ Nicole Monaghan
Dialect Coach ............... Colin Carter
Set Painting ................... Joe Piirto, Jo Rodrick, Bruce Ford