Theater Workshop is showcasing the traditional story through a different lens with Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, telling the famed story through the eyes of Scrooge’s former business partner.
Performances are Dec. 10-11 and 17-18 at 7:30 p.m., long with 2 p.m. shows on Dec. 12 and 19. All shows are at the Empress Theatre at 418 Frederica Street.
Director Allison Acuff said the show, while following the original storyline, touches on the perspective of Marley as he takes Scrooge on the classic redemption journey.
Acuff compares it to how the Broadway show Wicked gives Glinda a redemption story to her villain character in Wizard of Oz.
The audience will be able to see the development and growth in Marley’s own heart while seeing Scrooge develop.
For Acuff, this resonates with a great lesson for society: how to treat others who treat you horribly.
“I think it’s important that we show our light to one another and that we are kind to one another, especially in the Christmas season,” Acuff said. “I also think we need to have that beautiful reminder of how do we treat those people that treat us horribly and how do we love them, even when our circumstances are difficult.”
The plot follows a cast of seven people as they rotate through different roles to tell this reimagining. When the group first got together Acuff said they all felt a large sense of excitement throughout the cast and crew.
She realized she missed the director’s chair after not being able to be involved due to the pandemic and knows how much her cast missed being involved in the shows.
Acuff said one of the hardest parts of doing a show for the director is the casting process, saying it is a large percent of the director’s work. Yet, when it came to casting and rehearsing, she felt this cast has made it very easy.
“It’s said, if you cast a show well, it’ll direct itself almost. It’s so much easier to work with people who are really gung ho for the project and also very, very talented,” Acuff said.
While the experience levels of the cast range from one’s first theatre production to someone who performed this show professionally, Acuff said the cast is full of powerhouse performers ready to showcase their talents.
She hopes those in attendance understand that the show is not the traditional story, but said it still is a special peformance for Christmastime.
“I’m excited for people to come see it and to experience the world that Tom Mula, the playwright, has created,” Acuff said. “I think that people are going to be really surprised and excited by what is happening on stage. It’s a very magical production.”
