Review: Ottawa Musicals' THE HUMBUG HUSTLE at Great Canadian Theatre Company

Ottawa Musicals’ The Humbug Hustle opened this week to a nearly sold-out crowd at its new home on the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s stage. Written by Chad Connell and Shelley Simester and directed/produced by Sarah and Matt Cassidy, The Humbug Hustle is a wildly funny story that is very, very (did I say very?) loosely based on Dickens’ holiday classic, A Christmas Carol.

In this version, Scrooge (Andy Allen-McCarthy) is somehow Bob Cratchit’s (Declan Cassidy) father and T.T. (Simester) is his granddaughter – the second “T” stands for Tina; the first “T” stands for many, many different things in a running gag throughout the show, including “Terrifying” and “Tyrannical”. Apparently, Tina was supposed to have a twin named Tim (wink, wink), but she "absorbed him in the womb"... Terrifying, indeed! T.T. manages the family business, Glamazon, and is irate when she discovers that Grandpa is planning to bequeath his vast fortune to the Giving Pledge. Mrs. Cratchit is recruited to help her daughter convince Scrooge to change his mind by whatever means necessary (Cara Pantalone, who was wonderful in Ovation’s recent production of Into the Woods, usually plays Mrs. Cratchit but she was out due to illness on opening night and was replaced by choreographer Jessica Vandenberg, who bravely stepped into the role at the last minute).

Glamazon’s warehouse employees, Harry (Connell), Peeta (Paddy McCarthy), and Leia (Andrea Romero Cartas) uncover T.T.’s scheme and try to thwart her, albeit in an equally unorthodox way. Declan and Maggie Cassidy reprised their roles from last year’s Sleeping Beauty panto, Selfie the elf and Pixel the fairy, respectively. Maggie Cassidy also played the role of Lil’ Kim. The Snow Monster from last year also made a random reappearance. The show is narrated by aspiring Broadway star, Minerva Srek (Rejean Mayer), who adds a combination of cabaret and stand up comedy to the show. 

Ultimately, of course, justice prevails and T.T. learns what is truly important, but it sure is fun getting there. Ottawa Musicals embraces family-oriented theatre and ensures that everyone is included in the production. Audience members are encouraged to cheer the heroes and boo the villains. On opening night, the audience obliged enthusiastically, even taunting T.T. after the curtain call! A couple of kids from the audience were selected to play a post-intermission game on stage and took home participation prizes.

All the actors cast in The Humbug Hustle are good performers – I especially loved seeing Simester revel in her role, haughtily lashing back at hecklers and enjoying every second. Vandenberg was brilliant under the circumstances, despite having a script in hand for her spoken part; as choreographer, she didn’t need any reference for dance numbers. Speaking of dance, Maggie Cassidy, a member of Capital City Dance’s competitive team, showed incredible focus and talent as a dancer. Mayer was very funny as he sashayed across the stage and preyed on the audience with good humour and lighthearted comedy. Andy Allen-MaCarthy is always fun to watch on stage, and his Scrooge is no exception. Romero Cartas is new to me: and she gives such a passionate, energetic performance that I hope to see more of her on Ottawa stages.

The Humbug Hustle’s “Thriller” scene is the best part of the show; beautifully choreographed and hilariously performed, it was completely unexpected and entirely hit the mark. Another high point is the costumes (Lu-Anne Connell), particularly Pixel’s fairy wings, as well as Lil’ Kim and the ghosts’ costumes. The “chase scene” is maybe a tad too long, but can be overlooked, as it is used to showcase local, independent neighbourhood shops and restaurants. The three piece band are impressively diverse – a shout out needs to be given to Lauren Saindon, musical director and keyboardist – we can tell from the moment she starts playing the opening melodies that she is having fun and feeling the energy, and this sets the tone for the whole show.

For Ottawa audience members who look forward to Ottawa Musicals’ pantomime each year, they won’t be disappointed with The Humbug Hustle; it’s a non-stop entertaining ride with a familiar(ish) story, colourful song and dance numbers, a morality check, and even some adult giggles designed to fly over the wee ones’ heads. On stage through January 5th at the GCTC, get your tickets at the link below to either end this year or start the next on a high note.

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