Review: Scrooge and the Gang Sing and Dance their way through A CHRISTMAS CAROL THE MUSICAL at The Royal Theatre

Nestled in beautiful downtown Benton is The Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., which is this wonderful historic theater that produces gem after gem of theatrical greatness. Somehow, we were lucky enough to score some tickets to see A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL Sunday, Dec. 11. I'm pretty sure the whole community came out, because the house was packed!

Every Christmas Carol that I've seen has been different from show to show, and this experience followed suit. A CHRISTMAS CAROL THE MUSICAL was true to the tale, but had more singing and dancing than the other shows. With music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens, this musical sounded so familiar. Why? It was adapted from the 2004 movie starring Kelsey Grammer, Jesse L. Martin, and Jane Krakowski.

Directed by Tom Crone, Ebeneezer Scrooge (Drew Ellis) despises Christmas and everything that it entails. Though he is disgruntled that Bob Cratchit (Doug Russum) wants Christmas Day off, he lets him have it and heads home. While preparing for bed, he is visited by his old partner Jacob Marley (Ben Wright) who bemoans the chains that he carries in the afterlife. Marley then warns Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts-The Ghost of Christmas Past (Evalyn Russum), The Ghost of Christmas Present (Beau Goldthorpe) and Ghost of Christmas Future (Lana Hallmark). The story plays out through song and dance and Scrooge is a changed man.

Without an intermission, the music moves the performance along surprisingly fast. Led by Music Director Jessica Tilley and Choreographer Gabby Stewart, the opening number has the ensemble singing about London then they move into "Jolly Good Time," where it is all about the wonderful Christmas celebrations. The two parts of "Nothing to Do with Me" has Cratchit asking for the day off, Nephew Fred (Travis Loftis) invites Scrooge to their family gathering, and people are asking for extensions and donations. "You Mean More to Me" is a touching song between Cratchit and his feeble son Tiny Tim (Gus Howell), however it is Marley's song "Link by Link" that starts to really scare Scrooge into changing into a kinder person. The songs keep coming with each spirit, and it all culminates to "Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today" where Scrooge declares life will forever be different.

From the beginning Ellis embodied Scrooge with his disdain for his community. His reactions were noticed while conversing with the spirits, and throughout the show, his transformation was gradually felt and all while singing and dancing. He rarely left the stage through the whole production, if at all. The relationship between Russum's Bob Cratchit and Howell's Tiny Tim were precious, and Howell stole the show. He is a star.

This was a large cast. How they fit all of them on that two-level stage was amazing. The costumes were period specific, and it was cool seeing the snow fall onto the stage. Production/Creative team included Stage Manager- Misty Jezierski, Sound-Janelle von Storch, Lighting Design-Matthew Burns, Lighting Tech-Jackson Blome, Costume Design-Lana Hallmark, Costumes-Hallmark, Shelli Goldthorpe, and Amy Palmer, Set and Scenic Design-Tom Crone, Set Construction-Tom Crone, Tony Clay, and Mike Wallace, and Producers Tony Clay, Amanda Kennedy, and Jamie Partain.

Broadway World would like to thank Shelly Statton for the use of the photos. Statton is a natural light photographer who specializes in children. You can view her work at www.facebook.com/shellystattonphotography.

Coming up next, the Young Players will be performing AMERICAN IDIOT in JANUANRY and The Royal Players presents TITANIC THE MUSICAL in February.For more information with this fabulous theatre, visit their website at www.theroyaltheatre.org.

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