'Scrooge In Rouge' Brings Holiday Merriment To Richmond Triangle Players

Richmond Triangle Players ushers in the holiday season with the wackiest take on the classic Dickens story you have ever seen, when RTP revives Scrooge in Rouge - An English Music Hall Christmas Carol beginning Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at its theater at 1300 Altamont Avenue. The production runs through December 17.

In this merry, madcap mashup reminiscent of Greater Tuna and Noises Off, the audience arrives to see the Royal Music Hall 20-Member Variety Players production of A Christmas Carol. Sadly, 17 of the actors have taken ill from food poisoning at a cast party the night before, leaving only Charlie Schmaltz (Kirk Morton), an animated character actor, Lottie Obligato (Steven Boschen), a bubbly, over-the-hill ingénue, and Vesta Virile (Lauren Leinhaas-Cook), a male-impersonating diva, to play and sing all the parts in the show.

All three actors are recreating the roles they played in RTP's 2009 production, mounted at Virginia Rep's Theater Gym right before RTP opened its Altamont Avenue venue; Shon M. Stacy returns as director as well. RTP's original production of Scrooge in Rouge was nominated for five Richmond Theater Critics Circle (Artsie) Awards including Best Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Leinhaas-Cook), Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (Boschen), Best Director (Stacy) and Best Musical Direction.

Lauren Leinhaas-Cook is well-known to Richmond audiences for her wide range of roles, from musicals such as RTP's Scrooge in Rouge and Virginia Rep's I Do! I Do!, to serious works such as Cadence Theater Company's Equus and In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play. Both Steven Boschen and Kirk Morton have appeared at RTP numerous times, together most recently in The Holiday Stops. Boschen has also appeared at RTP as the MC in Pageant and at Virginia Rep's Hanover Tavern in The Fabulous Lipitones. Morton has made his mark in a wide range of works, such as Take Me Out, his RTCC-nominated turn in We Three Lizas, and his acclaimed performance as Zaza in La Cage aux Folles.

Scrooge in Rouge premiered at Le Chat Noir in New Orleans in December 2007, and has since been performed all over the United States. The Book and Lyrics are by Ricky Graham with Original Music Composed by Jefferson Turner. Additional Material is by Jeffrey Roberson (also known as drag performer Varla Jean Merman), and Other Interesting Bits are by Yvette Hargis. All four authors comprised the original company of the show, and reprised the production for several seasons in New Orleans.

Musical Direction for Scrooge in Rouge is by Roy George. David McLain recreates his original set design from the 2009 production, and Alex Valentin will recreate Thomas W. Hammond's original costume design. Lighting Design is by Andrew Bonniwell and Stage Manager is Page Tazewell.

All performances will take place at Richmond Triangle Players' theater at 1300 Altamont Avenue, just northwest of the intersection of the Boulevard and West Broad Street. Reserved seat tickets ($30 for Fridays and Saturdays evenings at 8:00 pm, $28 for Thursday evenings at 8:00 pm and Sunday matinees at 4:00 pm, with discounts for groups and students) can be purchased online at RTP's web site at www.rtriangle.org, on RTP's Facebook page, or by leaving a message on the RTP Ticket hotline at 804-346-8113.

RTP's theater at 1300 Altamont Avenue is a 4000-square foot performing arts facility accommodating flexible seating arrangements for up to 90 patrons. The building features fully ADA-compliant access and comfortable restrooms, as well as a generous bar, and catering capability, and is also available for cabaret performances and private events.

Photo by John MacLellan