Many "bah humbugs" have been uttered over the years, but none seems to dampen the Christmas spirit portrayed through renditions of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
The Mitchell Area Community Theatre, in coordination with Dakota Wesleyan University, will open "Scrooge! The Musical" today at the Pepsi-Cola Theatre for the Performing Arts in Mitchell.
Director Dan Miller said he is proud and excited to present this show to the Mitchell community. Although he says many will be familiar with the basic outline of the play, this production enhances the story with music from the 1970s movie with Albert Finney.
"It's the same characters, same story, but enhanced with new scripts," Miller said.
This change-of-heart tale is set in 19th century England, and transforms a moneylending miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, into a new man. James C. Van Oort is cast as the cold-hearted, holiday-hating Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge, who runs his business the way he runs his life - based on greed - is warned of his ill-fate by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley.
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Scrooge is then visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas yet-to-come, who show him it's possible to turn his life around. A new man on Christmas morning, Scrooge surprises his employee Bob Cratchit, played by Kurt Schwarzenbart, his nephew Fred, played by Ian Hyde, and the rest of the large cast with a Christmas celebration for the ages.
"We've got a great combo of actors from both campus and the community," Miller said. "And having students coming downtown to practice is certainly exciting."
The show, including intermission, will be under two hours, according to Miller.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4-6 and Dec. 11-13, and at 2 p.m on Dec. 7 and 14. Admission is $12 or $14 for general public, and $10 for DWU staff, faculty and students. Tickets can be purchased at the theater box office, online at www.mitchellact.org , by calling 996-9137 or at the door on performance nights.
The Mitchell ACT tries to partner with DWU once a year, according to Miller, saying that the arts are a great collaborative effort in Mitchell, so it only makes sense to join forces with another theater.
After directing the dark and heavy "Les Miserables" in the spring, Miller is happy to present a play with such light-hearted qualities.
"What's been exciting about this play is that it extremely lively, light and entertaining - even comedic at times," he said.
This production of "Scrooge" will feature Thursday night performances. Typically, ACT shows are on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but the group is providing the community their best extra-effort for this holiday season.
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"Since we know how big Christmas shows are in Mitchell, we really wanted to offer those additional performances," Miller said.
