Seasons greetings from Marley County, U.S.A., where folks don't have a whole lot, but where everybody's doing what they can to make the Christmas holiday crackle. Except for one mean and miserly old coot who somehow misses the whole point. Ring a bell? It's Dickens' classic, dusted off and gussied up in a new country-western musical version.
A Country Christmas Carol is ideal family holiday fare—fresh, engaging, often hilarious, and genuinely moving. It's a timeless tale of redemption and reunion, community and family, the kind of story that was made for country music. The score would make Patsy Cline proud, with show stopping ballads to snappy two-steps, sung by a feisty bunch who deal head-on with life's joys and heartaches.
All the characters are here—with some nifty variations: Banker Scrooge, the man with the worst case of Christmas blues ever; his secretary Bobbie Jo Cratchit, a young widow with two small children, Jane and Tim; his lovable ne'er-do-well nephew Dwight; Lavinia, a good-ol'-girl with big hair and an even bigger heart; plus some decidedly Country Christmas spirits. This is a down-home pleasure from start to finish.
EB SCROOGE 60ish; a tough, tight, embittered, miserable old coot. Banker Scrooge has Marley County in the palm of his hand and he loves squeezing. BOBBIE JO CRATCHIT also plays.. BELLE early 30s; hardworking and hard-pressed young widow with two small children. She’s got a temper, but keeps it reined in – most of the time. (Belle: Scrooge’s loyal girlfriend in the Christmas Past sequence. A simple, down-to-earth gal.) DWIGHT SCROOGE also plays.. YOUNG EB 30ish; plays guitar. Scrooge’s nephew. A bit of a goofball, a bit of a drinker, but a decent man. (Young Eb: the struggling and ambitious young man Scrooge was.) LAVINIA also plays.. THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST 50ish; once a band singer, now proprietor of the Marley Hotel. A good ole gal with big hair and a bigger heart. (The Ghost of Christmas Past: sympathetic guide to Scrooge’s past. She could be his grandmother.) JANE CRATCHIT also plays.. GIRL FANNY 12-13; Bobbie Jo’s daughter. Bespectacled, brainy, and wise beyond her years. (Girl Fanny: about 12; Boy Eb’s older sister in the Christmas Past sequence.) TIM CRATCHIT also plays.. BOY EB 8-9; Bobbie Jo’s son. A happy, energetic kid–despite his failing health. (Boy Eb:Scrooge as a child.) Featured Roles (In the original production, five adult actors and two young teens plated these roles, as well as other incidental ensemble roles.) Middle-aged Character Man plays: CHARLEY Pleasant, unpretentious, our official guide to the proceedings. TRAIN CONDUCTOR in the Christmas Past sequence. DELBERT KINCAID Young Eb’s jolly employer in the Christmas Past sequence. THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT Santa Claus in a ten-gallon hat. Young Character Man plays: VIRGIL Handyman at the hotel; a little slow. DICK WILKINS Young Eb’s buddy in the Christmas Past sequence. Older Character Man plays: RADIO MAN An old pro from station WKRG, acting as emcee for the talent show. SCROOGE’S FATHER Boy Eb’s cold and authoritarian father in the Christmas Past sequence. DOC CHASE An honest country medic in the Christmas Past sequence. BUSINESSMAN Scrooge’s replacement in the Christmas Yet to Come sequence. Character Woman plays: DORIS PEACH Church choir director. Young Character Woman plays: Character Description LINDA LEE Sassy young waitress at the luncheonette. FANNY Scrooge’s sister as a young woman.
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