Review: SCROOGE! Breathes New Life Into Classic

Face it- we've all seen Scrooge's story a thousand times. But tonight's performance of SCROOGE! THE MUSICAL at the Hoover Library kept me engaged with smart and inventive direction by Jack Mann and an all-star cast.

Howard Green as Scrooge is enjoyable and convincing in his role. With a somewhat softer voice, which is perfect for his part, the band needs to tone it down a notch when accompanying him. Otherwise Green sings well, is grumpy when needed, and makes the transition to joyful in a believable way.

From theatre veterans like Suzanne Mann, Ben Burford, Clay Boyce, Kyle Bass and Tawny Stephens to younger performers like David Strickland, Stephen Billy, Taylor Hanks, and Marcelle LaBlanc, this cast really does bring some of the area's best talent together.

Kyle Holman as Jacob Marley is unrecognizable and does an outstanding job.

But I really was most impressed with Jack Mann's direction. Starting the show with the actors being called to places, some of them even wandering in late from the lobby, gave the audience the feel of watching the show "come together before our eyes." Explaining the ghost light and giving pointers to some of the actors was a nice touch and you could see the joy on Mann's face as he went through the cast encouraging and instructing.

Instead of the usual "please turn off your cell phones" we got a murmured remark about cell phones replacing Marley's chains in our lives. (So true!) So much of the set design and blocking is fresh while still telling the classic tale to a full house.

If you are looking for a holiday classic to get you in the spirit of the season, this is a good place to start. Only running this weekend, December 3-5 at 7:30, you need to see SCROOGE! at the Hoover Library. Go to www.thelibrarytheatre.com for ticket information.

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