The curtains whooshed open and there sat Ebenezer Scrooge and his employee Bob Cratchit. On Saturday, December 8, the Cherry Hill Village Theater of Canton held a reimagined version of the classic play “A Christmas Carol” titled “Who Killed Ebenezer Scrooge?”, a first time musical production written by Christopher Johnson and Jeff French and performed by Canton’s Spotlight Players.
“Who Killed Ebenezer Scrooge?” starts the same as most versions of “A Christmas Carol.” Bob Cratchit works for the cruel Scrooge on Christmas Eve.The story diverges when, after being visited by a ghostly Jacob Marley,Scrooge’s former business partner, Scrooge is found dead by the ghost of Christmas present. The ghostly Scrooge must watch as the people he knew finds out that he died, and also learns who killed him and why.
Salma EspinoBarba, Canton junior and the character young Francis,Scrooge’s former wife in the recent show, got into acting five years ago after seeing a stage production for the first time. “We saw ‘Wicked,’ and then, literally the next week, I signed up for a show.”
There are many reasons EspinoBarba loves acting, but she highlighted having the chance to be a different person as the most important. “I can pretend to be something, and it’s fun getting to just go up there and get to be an alternate person.”
Prepping for shows takes a lot of work. EspinoBarba attends the required three-a-week rehearsals, but she also works alone at home to be fully prepared, including practicing singing harmony “You usually have to do research on the era you’re in,” said EspinoBarba.
Tony Bailey, ensemble member and bartender in the show, enjoys many parts of theater, but most important is the sense of family in the crew. “I would say more of the stuff that really struck me more is how similar it was around just– it’s a family,” said Bailey. “It was a feel you develop, a real closeness and fondness.”
Although Tony Bailey had not acted since high school and had not sung since college, he was asked to join the performance because of the need for male actors in the show. “Trisha [Bailey’s wife and the play’s costume designer] came home one night, probably about four or five weeks before, you know, probably a month or so before the show was on, and they said, ‘Hey, by the way, you’re the bartender.’”
Although Tony Bailey had not initially intended to participate in the performance, he found himself appreciating performing again. “I really enjoyed it, it was a great time. You know, it’s fun being on the stage.”
Directing a play takes a lot of organization. . Nicci Dreyer, director of this play and seven previous productions, considers the hardest part of play prep for her is “trying to coordinate schedules for, you know, a cast of 34 people.”
This production of “Who Killed Ebenezer Scrooge?” was a particularly special show because it was the first time the show had been produced on stage.. The crew had the ability to consult with the play’s writers who had been invited to participate during production. This allowed a lot of creative freedom for Dreyer and the production crew to add or remove parts with permission of the writers Jeff French and Christopher Johnson.
French and Johnson, residents of Texas, came to every performance to show their support to the actors and to analyze what needs to be changed for next year’s planned production of the show at the village theater.
One of the biggest challenges that the director has faced is the lack of students auditioning to be in shows. “We only had 30 people [adults and students] try out,” said Dreyer. “Normally, we’ll have like, 50 or 60 come try out. So those numbers were small.”
Becky Porter, the show’s producer,said after working for months on a play, “at the very end, when you’re walking through the crowd and you’re hearing people talk about it, or you’re hearing them say, ‘Oh, that was amazing,’ or, ‘Hey, did you catch this part?’ And, like, it’s [those moments] that you’re like, ‘Yeah, we worked really hard on that. I’m glad somebody noticed it.’”
According to Porter, the hardest part is the end. “You’ve done this work for twelve weeks, right? You’ve seen things come to life, and at the end you take it all down. All the work you put in just gone after one night.”
The Canton Village Little Theater hosts a wide selection of activities to take part in. The theater hosts everything from dance classes to knitting clubs, and of course theater. “[Attending plays is] a great thing to go do with your friends,” said Lily Bell, Salem junior, and play attendee. “I would recommend going to shows.”
The Spotlight Players will start the new year with the musical “The Prom: School Edition” the weekend of March 16-19.
