MRS. BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE Plays Silver Spring Stage, Now thru 12/21

Silver Spring Stage presents Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge by Christopher Durang, directed by Star Johnson and produced by Joseph Coracle, Pauline Griller-Mitchell and Star Johnson, a hilarious parody of the Christmas Carol story from the viewpoint of a stressed out Mrs. Cratchit. Christmas will never be the same! Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge will perform two weekends today, December 12 to December 21, 2014.

Silver Spring Stage is located in the Woodmoor Shopping Center, lower level (next to the CVS) at Colesville Road and University Boulevard. Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $15 for children.Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at www.ssstage.org. Information is also available by calling (301) 593-6036.

Silver Spring Stage will be conducting a healthy holiday food drive with donations to Manna Food Center to support residents of Montgomery County. The Stage will ask audience members to bring non-perishable foods. Examples of healthful food items include: canned fish packed in water, fruit canned in its own juice, no sugar added apple sauce, low-sodium soups, whole grain cereals, brown rice and whole wheat pastas.

Who do you turn to for a crackpot, comic Christmas play? Why, Christopher Durang of course, author of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Beyond Therapy, Baby With the Bathwater, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, and the Tony Award winning Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, among other crazy, laugh-riot plays. City Theatre in Pittsburgh did just that and Durang supplied Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge. Though laced with his edgy comedy, Mrs. Bob Cratchit spoofs the famous Charles Dickens story with a sunnier disposition. He said, "I was in a good mood writing it." The premise of the parody is: "What if Dickens' Mrs. Cratchit (Gladys is her name here) wasn't so goody-goody, but instead was an angry, stressed-out modern-day American woman who wanted out of this harsh London 1840s life?" Gladys evokes a little Mommie Dearest while tending to her brood of 20 children. When Bob arrives with child number 21, she loses it. Durang masterfully throws in the kitchen sink with other holiday stories: Little Nell, Oliver Twist, The Gift of the Magi and even It's a Wonderful Life. Mixed with original songs, Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge will be a holiday show like you've never seen before!

A sassy Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Still to Come (Yvonne Paretzky) opens Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge with an introduction to Young Jacob Marley (Kathryn LaLonde) singing Christmas carols, but Young Ebeneezer Scrooge (Aidan Emerson) hates carols and drowns him out with "Bah! Humbug!" The Ghost explains that in later centuries Scrooge's repeated saying of "Bah Humbug" would probably be diagnosed as a kind of "seasonal Tourette's Syndrome," but that in 1843, they hadn't a clue what it meant. She then introduces grown up Ebeneezer (Michael Sigler) with his grown-up "Bah, humbug!" The Ghost tries, of course, to redeem Scrooge's miserly, mean personality, but her attempts keep being thwarted by Mrs. Bob Cratchit (Julie Zito), who is in angry despair at the pathos of her life and keeps trying to drown herself by jumping off the London Bridge. Indeed, The Ghost and Scrooge meet Mrs. Cratchit way before they're supposed to - the Ghost keeps trying to get them to the cheerful Fezziwigs (Eric Small, Miriam Bowden, Kelly Farrall, Mary Ghitelman), but she keeps taking them other places by mistake. The story then takes some unusual twists and turns including an improbable love affair, with joyous and hilarious results. Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge will bless everyone with laughter.

The cast also features Peter Orvetti, Maria O'Connor, Margaret Murphy, David Flinn, Eric Small, Alex Batselos, Kate Small and Vanessa Terzaghi. The production team includes Jimmy Mrose (Musical Director), Eric Small (Choreographer/Set Dressing), Stacey Axler (Stage Manager), Andrew S. Greenleaf (Set Designer/Master Carpenter), Jim Robertson (Lighting Designer), Steve Deming (Sound Designer), Kate Small (Costumer, Hair/Make-up), and Richard Ley (Properties)..

Silver Spring Stage continues its 2014-2015 season with Orson's Shadow (Jan. 9-31), 33 Variations (Feb. 27-Mar. 21),The Language Archive (Apr. 10-May 2), On the Razzle (May 29-June 20), and Venus in Fur (July 10-Aug. 1).

Silver Spring Stage has provided quality, affordable theatre for over 40 years. We are an all-volunteer, non- profit organization and appreciate any contribution to enable us to offer excellent and entertaining productions. Thank you for your interest and support of Silver Spring Stage. All programs at Silver Spring Stage are made possible in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.