This story originally appeared in the Holiday Arts Guide: Have an uncliché Christmas.
Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. This season, Seven Tyrants Theatre is taking the miserly Christmas tale back to its most macabre roots.
“Our interpretation is re-touching in with the original, which is an extremely dark and scary story,” says Ebenezer co-creator David Newham of Seven Tyrants. “[The original] is actually subtitled A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas. And everyone is familiar with the opening lines, you know, ‘Marley was dead: to begin with.’ So there are these dark elements that really aren’t meant as a bedtime story.”
Written at a time when the British were just starting to explore Christmas traditions such as cards and trees, Charles Dickens’ instant classic about the power of Christmas also served as a humanitarian reminder about the plight of the nation’s poor – an issue close to Dickens’ heart. In 1843, after months spent touring the horrors of England’s factories and mines, he shrewdly decided a deeply moving ghost story would go a lot further than a series of righteous essays about the need for social services.
“I think what Dickens was really trying to say was that these wealthy upper classes had seemed to lose their humanity,” explains Newham. “So Scrooge is a kind of symbol of something that Dickens saw at work in our society as a whole … this idea of selfishness, of greed, of capital being more important than family, love, humanity, happiness.”
Fresh off last season’s Jessie-nominated musical Mozart & Salieri and 2014’s Ovation Award-nominated Beggar’s Opera, Ebenezer builds on Seven Tyrants’ tradition of reimagining classics. In this twist, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come serve as the narrators. Ebenezer also goes deeper into the metaphysical essence of the original – was it real? Or was it just a dream… And, unlike the many famous adaptations – Alastair Sims’ 1951 touchstone or Bill Murray’s Scrooged – this version happens to be a musical.
The production features an original musical score composed by Daniel Doerkson, and played live by the cast of seven. Newham describes it as a mix of genres, from classic jazz to the Muppets.
“We’re a multidisciplinary company, so we always like to incorporate a lot of music, and as a director I’m pretty anti-realistic,” he laughs, “so I prefer shows that are highly theatrical and highly entertaining. And I’m always looking for performers who have got other skill sets.”
To that end, Newham has drawn together an impressive cast, including Vancouver stage mainstay Andrew Wheeler (Proud, Best Laid Plans) as Scrooge and the likes of Mike Stack and Tom Jones bringing their extensive expertise in mask work to the play.
Despite the 21st century reinvention though, Newham says the story’s core message stays the same.
“We want to meet certain expectations,” Newham assures. “Scrooge still says ‘Bah, Humbug!’ you know? But by the same token I think people will be surprised by the story they see. They’ll recognize the narrative but I think they’ll be surprised by the more adult nature it’s being presented in.”
• Ebenezer runs Dec. 8-Jan. 2; Jericho Arts Centre (1675 Discovery). Tickets from $29; SevenTyrants.com
