Arizona Theatre Company Kicks Off Holiday Season With SCROOGE!, Company's New Musical Based On Classic Story

Arizona Theatre Company has announced it is kicking off the holiday season with Scrooge!, the company's new holiday musical adaptation of the Oscar-nominated film of the same name created by Oscar-winning, Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated composer Leslie Bricusse and directed by Broadway director and ATC's own Matt August. The production runs in Tucson from Nov. 7 to Dec. 2 at the Temple of Music and Art and in metro Phoenix from Dec. 9 to Dec. 30 at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

While audiences will recognize the story plot based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, ATC has adapted Bricusse's story to bring the holiday favorite to the stage with fresh orchestrations, lyrics and design, noted Matt August, ATC Kasser Family Artistic Director. August was working with Bricusse on the stage musical adaptation before he passed away and is currently working with the Bricusse Estate to bring the piece to life.

"It's a true honor to develop this beloved story, filled with songs by a musical master and legend [Bricusse], for Arizona audiences." August said. "With a 'dream team' of creative talent, a cast of 24 actors and live musicians for every show, the audience is in for a spectacular evening. We're thrilled to welcome Tucson residents for what we hope will become a beloved family holiday tradition."

Under August's direction, Scrooge! is headlined by Tony Award-winning actor Shuler Hensley, whose list of roles and awards in film and theatre is long and illustrious. His film appearances include The Legend of Zorro, Van Helsing, The Bread, My Sweet (aka A Wedding for Bella), Odd Thomas, Cruiser, and the upcoming Into the Wilderness. On Broadway, he most recently starred in The Music Man, playing the role of Marcellus Washburn opposite Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. He was also seen in Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, The Ferryman, Tarzan, Les Miserable, and Young Frankenstein (as the Monster). He also stared as the Grinch at Madison Square Garden and he won the Tony Award for his performance as Judd Fry in Oklahoma.

August is no stranger to holiday musical spectaculars - he brought Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! to Broadway, where it broke box office records and has toured nationally since 2008 as well as played in London, across the UK, at the Grand Ole Opry, and for three holiday seasons at Madison Square Garden.

ATC's production follows Ebenezer Scrooge as he goes on a fantastical journey through his life over the course of a single Christmas Eve night. After a warning from the ghost of his business partner Jacob Marley, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future take Scrooge on a musical adventure that leads him towards his hopeful redemption.

"The hope for this show is that kids and families get to experience the thrill of the theatre with this live performance of a huge holiday spectacle" August said. "We've taken Leslie's original plot with its iconic writing and added exciting production elements that will make Scrooge! a spectacular holiday tradition that Arizona families do not want to miss."

Tickets for Arizona Theatre Company's Scrooge! are now on sale. For more information, please visit www.atc.org/scrooge. After its run in Tucson, Scrooge! will be on stage at Tempe Center for the Arts Dec. 9-30.

For more information about Arizona Theatre Company, please visit ATC's website, ATC.org, or call the box office at 833-ATC-SEAT (833-282-7328).

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