A scene from Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Jersey Christmas Show playing at George Street Playhouse – Photo credit – Daniel Radar
George Street Playhouse presents Ebenezer Scrooge's Big Jersey Christmas Show through December 21. This is a very different telling of the tale of Dickens' A Christmas Carol from the more traditional approach. The show takes some liberties in resetting the tale and the result is an absolutely hilarious production. I laughed a lot and had such a great time seeing this show.
I am a big fan of Dickens’ classic tale. I try to make it a point every year to go see a different production. This one has won me over. I can only hope that they bring it back next year because it is that good.
Written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, the team creates a unique look at what Scrooge experiences as Christmas approaches. You will still see the three ghosts who are in the classic tale: Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. But they are presented differently.
For example, when the Ghost of Christmas Past comes in, Scrooge looks back on the time that he was with the lady who was the love of his life. This version takes it a step further and explains that they were supposed to have gotten on a boat to the United States to start their life together. That doesn’t happen, and thus Scrooge becomes overly dependent on work for his life.
Also different in this version is the lack of the real scary ghost approach that you see in many of A Christmas Carol adaptations. When the Ghost of Christmas Present appears she’s dressed more like a lady at the time. And when the Ghost of Christmas Future arrives well that’s a whole different story.
The characters are very well done. Tiny Tim is a full grown man with a set of legs in front of him representing a child. You can’t help but laugh when he comes out.
Photo comes from George Street Playhouse Facebook page showing the Cratchit family especially Tiny Tim on the right.
Bob Cratchit not only gets a raise at the end but he is also elevated to become Scrooges’ business partner. And also the business that Scrooge owns is different. It’s not an accounting firm. It’s a firm that buys and sells real estate.
Two of the funniest characters are the two women that arrive in the very beginning, looking for donations. Their outfits are very cool to look at and the way they talk is very funny.
Scrooge is played by Kevin Pariseau . He does a remarkable job creating a character that we may not have seen before. But it fits in well with the whole story.
The real humor comes in when the jokes start to fly. As a reviewer, I try to write some things down and I got to the point I couldn’t catch them fast enough; there were so many of them. Much of the humor is aimed at New Jersey. Here’s one we all can relate to: a character remarks that somebody has brought a ham and they say what kind of ham and it becomes a question of whether it is Taylor Ham or Pork Roll, There are references made to the city of New Brunswick, including where Scrooge supposedly lives as he walks past Rutgers University.
Another highlight is when people want a dedicated space for the arts. Scrooge decides to change his office to a theater. And then he states that this comes to be known as the George Street Playhouse.
The show is filled with funny moments like this. You’re going to have a great time if you go to see the show. Put aside all that holiday shopping and gift wrapping and everything else that you have to do. Take some time to go out and have a few good laughs. You will enjoy seeing how creative people can be like Greenberg and Rosen as they put the show together. You can also join the cast at the end when they sing a few songs of the season
The Cast
The cast of Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Jersey Christmas Show includes Nehal Joshi, Orville Mendoza, Michele Ragusa, Cathryn Wake, and Kevin Pariseau.
About the Show
I highly recommend going to see this show during the holiday season. It is great fun which is just what is needed right now.
Tickets are available through the George Street Playhouse website.
Run time for the show is 80 minutes.
