Beale Street Theater presents ‘Scrooge the Musical’

KINGMAN – After weeks of holiday shopping that can lead to frustration thanks to checkout lines and gift unavailability, community members are being afforded the opportunity to remind themselves of the holiday spirit and associated sentiments like love and compassion by attending Beale Street Theater’s presentation of “Scrooge the Musical.”

“Scrooge the Musical,” composed and written by James Leisly, is a musical version of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Directing her first performance for Beale Street Theater is Lindsay Wheeler.

Wheeler said the story of Scrooge is known by just about everyone, and that many beloved Christmas specials are based on the story of “A Christmas Carol.”

“It kind of warms people’s hearts and gets them in the spirit of Christmas,” Wheeler said.

Ernest Scaff, who plays the role of the “pinch-penny squeezer,” said the performance shows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a “crotchety old man” whose selfish ways are transformed with the help of some “friendly Christmas spirits.” By the end of the performance, Scaff said, Scrooge has learned his lesson.

“It took him a while, but he finally learns the true meaning of Christmas,” Scaff said. “Each time a spirit visits him, he starts remembering and learning more and more about what Christmas truly means.”

While “Scrooge the Musical” is a traditional take on the Christmas classic, Wheeler said Beale Street Theater still makes the performance its own through a live orchestra and chorus, just two components of a show Wheeler called a true community effort comprised of far more volunteers than those seen on stage.

“Beale Street Theater is doing an amazing job with this show,” Scaff said. “We’ve got a great cast, we’ve got a great director and assistant director, we’ve got amazing music. This show’s coming along, I think it’s going to be one of the best ones Beale Street Theater has done.”

The performers also contribute to the uniqueness of the show through takes on characters.

“The actors bring something fresh to it, each actor has their own take on their characters,” Wheeler said. “They’re really getting into them, they’re all playing with accents. So it’s stretching everyone a little bit in a different way than they’re used to.”

There will be four performances of “Scrooge the Musical.” The first starts at 7 p.m. today, the second at 7 p.m. Friday. There will also be performances at 1 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Saturday. The location for all four is the Kingman High School auditorium, 4182 N. Bank St.

Tickets are $5 for children ages 4-11 and $12 for adults. They are available at https://www.bealestreettheater.com/events/ or at the Kingman Center for the Arts, 208 E. Beale St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today through Saturday. Tickets will also be available at the performance until sold out.

For information on VIP tickets, $22 for adults and $15 for kids, which include reserved seating and access to the VIP Lounge, contact 385-319-5238. Those tickets also include drinks, food and a quiet place to visit with family via the lounge. If tickets have already been purchased but an upgrade to VIP tickets is desired, contact info@bealesstreettheater.com

“I think it’s a great reminder of what’s important in our lives,” Wheeler said. “It’s not about the money or the gifts, it’s about the people that we spend our time with and connecting with them.”