Dallas Review: “Scrooge the Musical” by North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre
Shawn Stalter, Chief Dallas/Ft. Worth Critic
North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre (NTPA) brought a celebrated tradition to life with a lively performance of “Scrooge the Musical.”
“Scrooge the Musical” is an interpretation of Charles Dickens’ universally-recognized holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol.” The story takes place in mid-1800s London and focuses on the life and times of the miserly curmudgeon, Ebeneezer Scrooge. As he’s visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, and, later by three spirits on Christmas Eve, Scrooge gains deep insight into his misguided worldview and receives the greatest gift of all—a second chance at life.
NTPA’s performance of “Scrooge the Musical” was robust and enjoyable. The cast and crew put on a lively show and spread some holiday cheer. As the “ghost of Christmas present, Christian Robert Black gave a well-rounded and engaging performance that resonated with the audience. Beyond his character, Aaron Arroyo’s “Jacob Marley,” Jonathan Sieder’s “Mr. Fezziwig,” and Darrell Rodenbaugh’s “Scrooge,” also crafted vibrant performances.
While the production’s large cast helped create a bustling London community of merchants, passersby and street urchins, the sheer number of actors on the stage at any given time was often distracting. While packing 45 cast members on a modestly-sized stage is impressive, the ensuing interaction was often overwhelming. Beyond the congestion on stage, lack of cohesion with the costuming design made it difficult for the audience to imagine themselves in 19th century London. However, despite these relatively minor setbacks, NTPA’s “Scrooge the Musical” spread an abundance of holiday cheer to the local community this year by gifting two entire performances to over 500 underprivileged families and veterans. This generous act not only underscores the spirit of the story itself, but also offered many young people in the area their first-ever exposure to performance art.
Although the show has only a handful of performances remaining, there is still time to capture the magic of the holiday season and celebrate alongside the cast of NTPA.
“SCROOGE THE MUSICAL”
NTPA’s “Scrooge the Musical” is directed by Mike Mazur and runs through Dec 22nd, 2019. The show features an impressive array of talent including Darrell Rodenbaugh as “Scrooge,” Aaron Arroyo as “Jacob Marley,” Jason Hamby as “Bob Cratchit,” Vicki Cravens as “Mrs. Cratchit,” Maddie Hamby and Audrey Dalton in the role of “Kathy Cratchit,” Jackson Vieyra and Prithvi Darapureddy as “Peter Cratchit,” Fiona Coakly as “Martha Cratchit,” Maggie Eichinger and Alexis Word as “Belinda Cratchit,” Lauren Green and Avy Huang as “Timothy Cratchit,” Deanna Green and Kaitlyn Wright as the “Ghost of Christmas Past,” Jonathan Sieders as “Mr. Fizziwig,” Karen Eichinger as “Mrs. Fizziwig,” JoAnne Rodriguez as “Mrs. Bleake,” Keegan McGehearty as “Young Ebenezer,” Ariel Huang and Chloe Sy as “Young Jenny,” Nick Wright at “Ebenezer,” Tess Nameth Beck as “Isabel,” Austin Keefer as “Dick Wilkins,” Steve Flad and Christian Black as “the Ghost of Christmas Present,” Sean Sy as “Nephew,” Esther Petersen as “Helen,” David Russ Dittman and Malachi Flowers as “Topper,” Brenna Peterson and Mya Hardee as “Mary” and Paul Oldford and Sean Fite in the role of “the Ghost of Christmas Future.”
Reserve your seat for an upcoming production by visiting www.ntparep.org
Photo credit: Johnny Huang