Here’s a show that would appeal to anyone who secretly wishes that lumps of coal would show up in someone else’s stocking: Off the Wall’s The Great Scrooge Disaster, a spoof of all things related to the holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. In this version, everything that could possibly go wrong in the theater becomes the focus of this wacky, hilarious show. At the outset, this cast attempts to stage a standard version of the Charles Dickens’ classic. However, it takes only a moment before the wrapping starts to come off this absurdly funny gift. (The show was written and directed by Off the Wall founder, Dale Gutzman.) In a pre-show announcement, Gutzman’s voice informs the audience that all the spectacular costumes rented for the performance were shipped to the wrong theater company. Hence, one’s imagination must fill in for the ragtag collection of costumes and props hastily assembled for this performance. Worse yet, one learns that a good share of the cast has come down with a bad case of the flu. Other actors offer to fill in for the sick, as “the show must go on.” To show how desperate they are, the cast even recruits someone in the audience to accept a bit part. Whenever his character’s name is mentioned by someone on stage, the selected audience member must give a short, slightly PG-rated speech. As the curtain rises, the townsfolk of London mill about the stage singing a lovely holiday tune. Gutzman, playing Scrooge, spoils the atmosphere by inserting his own words into the song. Naturally, the ill-tempered Scrooge sings, “Ugly Winter Evening.”
So begins one of the season’s most oft-told tales, told in a manner that one cannot see except on the Off the Wall stage. One encounters characters such as Bob “Crotchet” (Teddi Gardener), the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, visions of long-ago holiday festivities with Mr. and Mrs. “Fuzzywig” (Lawrence J. Lukasavage and Kristin Pagenkopf). And the tallest member of the cast (James Strange) is the fill-in for Tiny Tim. Since Strange cannot possibly fit into Tim’s child-sized costume, he improvises in a sight gag that is one of the offbeat show’s highlights. There are more and more bloopers as the show continues. Missed light and sound cues, actors forgetting their lines, and props that fall apart become the norm. Even the choreography (by Kristin Pagenkopf) is not immune to the general disarray one witnesses onstage. If nothing else, The Great Scrooge Disaster reminds one that it requires at least as much talent—and maybe more so—to be “bad” as it does to be a good actor. Most of the cast doubles as several characters to the point where it is nearly impossible to keep track of who is who. In addition to those actors mentioned above, other memorable performances are turned in by Bill Kaiser (as a second Scrooge), Mark Ninneman as Jacob Marley, and Caitlin Kujawski Compton as the Ghost of Christmas Present. The theater’s own press release promises that “this theater production is like nothing you have seen before.” That’s exactly right, and it’s no wonder that several evenings of Scrooge Disaster were already sold out prior to the show’s opening night. Audiences familiar with Off the Wall’s annual holiday shows (the current production replaces its also-hilarious Holiday Punch), know they are in for a treat. It won’t be an evening of thought-provoking theater, to be sure, but sometimes it’s good to just take a break from holiday stress, sit back and laugh for a change.
