Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theatre will introduce a few surprising twists to its longstanding holiday production of Scrooge!, a musical retelling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12–Saturday, Dec. 15, with additional shows at 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16.
Scrooge! follows a bitter old miser’s journey toward discovering the true meaning of Christmas, with the help of strange ghosts and well-spirited people. Community member Susan Candey is directing Scrooge! this holiday season.
“In addition to the giant storybook, all of the familiar songs and memorable characters will return this year,” said Candey. “A change to look forward to in this production are the new projections created by Daric Christian from the School of Art & Design. It will bring a fresh look to the entire production and draw audiences into the world Dickens created. Another exciting addition this year is the puppet representing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. At 8-feet tall, the puppet looms over Scrooge and requires three actors to operate the head and arms.”
The ensemble of more than 30 performers is composed of NMU students, community members and area youth. Community member Monica Nordeen leads the cast as Ebenezer Scrooge, a role typically portrayed by male actors.
“Monica is a meticulous actor and capable of playing a broad range of characters,” said Candey. “Having worked with her in the past, I was confident in her ability to bring such a challenging role to life. Throughout the rehearsal process, she has not only shown dedication to the physicality of Scrooge, but an unfaltering commitment to his emotional journey.”
The one-act show is approximately 55 minutes long. Tickets are $15 for the public, $10 for students and $5 for NMU students. They are available online at tickets.nmu.edu or at any NMU EZ Ticket outlet. For more information on the event, contact the Forest Roberts Theatre Box Office at (906) 227-2082.