“What’s Christmas
time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding
yourself a year older, and not an hour richer? If I would work my will, every
idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with
his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”
Sound familiar?
It should. Even if
you’ve never read Charles Dickens’ A
Christmas Carol, I bet you’ve heard Ebeneezer Scrooge’s quotes or seen at
least one of the countless stage or movie versions. Can you name your favorite?
I know folks who claim it just ain’t Christmas until they’ve watched Alastair
Sim’s 1951portrayal of Scrooge. Others prefer Albert Finney’s from 1970. Bugs
Bunny got into the act by casting Yosemite Sam in the famous role, followed by
Mickey Mouse with Scrooge McDuck (who else?) in 1983, and The Muppets with
Michael Caine in 1992. Henry Winkler’s version came out in 1979 and a female
version, called Ebbie, with Susan
Lucci, in 1995. Sesame Street’s version features Oscar the Grouch as Scrooge. Even
Barbie has her own version, although I admit it is not on my “must see” list.
I discovered my
current favorite, the 2004 musical with Kelsey Grammar, last year when I
borrowed it on DVD from our local library.
The above list represents
only a drop in the bucket, but you may find yourself with a new favorite
version after you attend The Prairie Players production directed by Christopher
Kitchen. November 14 and 15 feature the play only (in advance or at the door).
November 16 and 17 will be dinner theatre (advance tickets only).
It features Terry
Tully as Scrooge, Kevin Hamm as Bob Cratchitt, and an additional 31local men,
women, and children rounding out the cast. One of the largest cast lists in
Prairie Players history, this production includes live music, dancing, and some
interesting steam-punk touches to the set and props. Since I’ll be an usher for
this production (which apparently doesn’t require practise), I sat in on a
rehearsal as spectator. The costumes alone are worth the price of admission!
Here’s
a bit of trivia that was new to me. When Scrooge mocks his clerk, Cratchitt, he
says,
“There’s
another fellow. My clerk, with fifteen shillings a week, and a wife and family,
talking about a merry Christmas. I’ll retire to Bedlam.”
Bedlam
was the famous London hospital for the insane. Scrooge, unable to reconcile the
concept of a joyful heart belonging to someone in Cratchitt’s financially
insecure position, finds the idea ludicrous. Hence, they may as well admit him
to Bedlam. Now that you know, the line will make more sense!
Like any great
story, A Christmas Carol never grows
old because of its memorable characters, its breadth of human emotion, and most
of all, its redemptive message. Every time I see it, I’m moved by something I
never caught before. This time, it was Jacob Marley’s ghost desperately
expounding the importance of compassion over money. Scrooge doesn’t get it,
since Marley proved himself an excellent business man. To which Marley replies,
“Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business;
charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business. The dealings
of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
A glorious way of
saying, “Love Thy Neighbour.”
Let the power and
poetry of this beloved story kick off your Christmas season by getting your
tickets from the William Glesby Centre.
You may find
yourself a couple of hours richer after all.
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| The cast of The Prairie Players' production of A Christmas Carol |
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