Scrooge, the Carol with an Attitude!

John Valdez, PPAG Reviewer

It is not very often that something written 165 years ago can still have relevance in today’s fast pace society. December 19, 1843 London was flooded with over six thousand copies of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Born in 1812 Charles Dickens was in great debt most of his adult life. The story was an instant success for the struggling author.

And like Dickens, Musical Community Productions is struggling for the notoriety it deserves. Well watching last night production tells me it’s coming soon. Director Raeann Herrick has been with the group for all its 18 years. She stated that this show is a collaboration of many different adaptations of A Christmas Carol. This company puts all its labor into one show a year, this year with “Scrooge! The Carol With An Attitude!” they have picked a winner.

As the story moves along you are flooded with wonderful dance and song. The barefooted street urchins are a delight and have fun running around the stage and even more fun taunting the old Ebenezer himself. The sets and the costumes leap out at the audience and pull us into late 19th century London streets.

The use of wireless microphones was a help, but at times the feedback was a bit tough on the ears. Despite the wireless mics, some of Scrooge’s (Clay Fitzsimmons) dialogue was at times lost, but he did a wonderful job of showing us an old miser who had lost his way when still a young man.

The singing and dancing are indeed the highlight of the show. And the quality of the voices is a delight to the ear. A few stand outs who deserve mention are young Scrooge, Josh Dasher, and young Belle, the love of his life, Sarah Seman. Their stage chemistry and talent help bring to life the pain scrooge felt as he realized his mistake of long ago.

Even with the number of adaptation the central message of the Dickens' classic remained in tact. The tragic tale of a young man so frightened and fearful of the grip of poverty, he became obsessed with money. This fear, lead to the abandonment of everything else including his one true love. Although the religious undertones and message were at times a bit much, the story can still be a delight to young and old of any generation.

The two exceptional performers of note were The Angel of Christmas Present, Bruce Salisbury. His song “I Like Life” could easily get the audience singing along to, “If life were a woman she would be my wife.” The finest performance on stage last night was without a doubt young Zachary Friberg as the soup salesman, Tom Jenkins. His singing and dancing during “Thank You Very Much.” was terrific and his Cockney accent was right on mark.

Come enjoy this wonderful and exciting performance at Sangre De Cristo Arts Center. Show dates are December 18th and 19th, 7:30pm. And matinee shows on Saturday December 20th at 1pm and 4pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or by calling the box office at 719-295-7222.