"Scrooge in Rouge" at Open Eye Theatre

This holiday* season, Open Eye Theatre is remounting** Scrooge in Rouge, which premiered last year, a show I called, "a little off-kilter, in the best possible way." The three-person musical reimagines the classic A Christmas Carol in the style of English Music Hall entertainment, meaning "witty lyrics, bad puns, and naughty double-entendres." The fabulous three-person cast portrays all of the characters in this story that hews fairly closely to Dickens' original, even including many of the famous lines you'll hear across town at the Guthrie. But there are a few ridiculous diversions too, resulting in a very entertaining and fun little show. You can see this alternative (or addition) to A Christmas Carol at Open Eye in South Minneapolis through December 29.

The show is done in a tongue-in-cheek fourth-wall-breaking style, as if we're the audience here to see A Christmas Carol at the Music Hall. The three players, all powdered, rouged, and bewigged, tell us that everyone else in the 20-person cast is sick with food poisoning, and therefore they're going to tell the story with just the three of them, plus a piano player (Patrick Adkins). They proceed through the familiar story, with a few (intentionally) missed cues, misplaced props, and other flubs. The show is chock full of groanworthy puns and bawdy jokes, with the cast fully engaged and winking at the audience. 

The Players (Tom Reed, Abilene Olson, and Maren Ward)
(photo by Bruce Silcox)

Open Eye's Artistic Director Joel Sass directs, wringing every last joke out of the script (and there are a lot) with the help of the talented trio of Abilene Olson, Maren Ward, and new-to-the-show Tom Reed taking over for Neal Skoy (who I hear is off in NYC doing clowning things). Maren plays Scrooge (and maybe one or two other characters), while the other two take turns narrating and playing every other character in the story. Except Tiny Tim, for whom they recruit an audience member (hint: don't sit in the front row or on the aisle if you don't want to be pulled on stage, and remember, it is OK to say "no thank you"). Watching the cast scramble to make the quick changes is part of the fun of the show.

Scrooge and the Fezziwigs (Abilene Olson, Maren Ward,
and Tom Reed, photo by Bruce Silcox)

The songs are like the show itself - clever and silly and fun. Abilene is the standout vocalist in this cast, and she uses her incredible instrument for comedy as much as musical gorgeousness (in addition to singing hilariously badly on occasion, which also takes great skill). They perform some silly dancing and movement (choreographed by Heidi Spesard-Noble, music direction by Jake Endres). Maren is so great in these pants roles (which she does frequently with Open Eye) and is a very funny Scrooge. Tom is a delight donning multiple costumes, characters, and voices. Everyone in this cast is a joy to watch.

Open Eye co-founder Michael Sommers has designed the set, which looks every bit the festive and stately, if a bit run down, English Music Hall. The colorful Victorian costumes (designed by Kathy Kohl) cover the gamut of all of the characters, with layers added and removed in quick succession, except when they're not, which is part of the fun too. Even the lighting design (by Bill Healey) gets in on the joke, with characters calling for (and sometimes receiving) changes.

Scrooge in Rouge is a fun new addition to the #TCTheater holiday scene, one that adds a new and wacky twist to a familiar and beloved classic. More belly-aching laugh-inducing than heart-warming, but laughter can keep you warm on a cold night too.

*Click here for reviews of all of the holiday shows I've seen this year.

**Much of this post is borrowed from my review of last year's production.