Gettysburg Stage to Present MRS. BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE, Begin. 12/13

Gettysburg Stage's production of Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge is an outrageous musical parody of Charles Dickens' beloved Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol. Written by acclaimed humorist Christopher Durang and directed by Hilary Snesrud, Mrs. Bob is a hilarious lampoon of a familiar tale.

Clearly suffering from a "kind of seasonal Tourette's Syndrome," Ebenezer Scrooge is led by a sassy Ghost of Christmas Past though his past, present and future in order to change him - or at least that's the idea. With her magic malfunctioning, Scrooge and The Ghost continually find themselves transported to the wrong place and time. She and Scrooge keep appearing in the present at the pathetic home of his pathetic employee, Bob Cratchit. Mrs. Bob Cratchit, a minor character in Dickens, takes center stage here. No longer loving and long suffering, Mrs. Bob is in a rage: she's sick to death of Tiny Tim (the goody-goody crippled child), she hates her twenty other children (most of them confined to the root cellar), and she wants to get drunk and jump off London Bridge. As the Ghost loses more control, the plot morphs into parodies of Oliver Twist, The Gift of the Magi and It's a Wonderful Life. And to make matters worse, Scrooge and Mrs. Bob seem to be kindred souls falling in love. With a climax that is two parts Touched by an Angel and one part Wall Street, Scrooge's tale of redemption and gentle grace is placed squarely on its head.

Appearing in this production by Gettysburg Stage are Hilary Snesrud, Melissa Hajek, David Hurlbert, Brady Bollinger, Joan Reeve, Jeff Leinbach, Trevor Taylor, Ken Pierson, Ryyn Currey, Pam Hurlbert, Paul Witt, Sue McCleaf Nespeca, Buff Wills and Dana Witt.

"It seems like it's becoming something of a Christmas tradition for me to be directing the Christmas show at Gettysburg Stage," says director Hilary Snesrud. "We have an hysterical show for our audiences this year. I think it will put a smile on everyone's face as Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge's redemption gets twisted beyond all recognition."

Performances of Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge are at the GAR Building at 53 E Middle St, Gettysburg at 8pm on December 13th, 14th and 21st and at 2pm on December 22nd. To request reservations, or for group bookings, please email info@gettysburgstage.org or phone (717) 638-8799. General admission is $15, $12 seniors and military personnel, and $5 for students.

Gettysburg Stage is a volunteer-based, non-profit theatre company that seeks to offer innovative theatrical experiences for regional audiences, actors and directors.

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