Christmas is no stranger to a wide range of emotions, especially nearing the holidays. Joy, humor, memories to be remembered for years to come, memories you’d rather forget, traditions you may or may not like – they’re all a part of the holidays for most.
In Good Medicine Production’s Uptown Scrooge ABRIDGED!, all of these emotions are represented in their just over an hour performance.
Held at Java Central this year, for $26 for adults and $16 for children and students, you can see Uptown Scrooge for yourself both Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 at 12:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m., and 4:45 p.m. respectively on both days.
The production of Uptown Scrooge ABRIDGED! is an annual event, based around Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. Being an interactive production – the audience acts as Scrooge, with everyone getting a nametag ending in “Scrooge” upon entering.
You are attending your nephew Fred’s party, and he has 10 separate acts that range from as short as a minute, to around ten minutes for the longer acts.
Whenever the word “HUMBUG!” is yelled, the audience yells out a number one through ten, and whichever is heard first, is the one that’s picked. The motivator to pick a said number isn’t random, as you get a double-sided paper with information about Good Medicine Productions and the ten acts with their names in order.
Your ultimate goal is to get through the ten acts in 60 minutes – keeping you on your toes.
Some acts are solely for humor – such as the fifth act “If You Don’t Like It, Shake It Off.” In this act, the Ghost of Christmas Present picks an audience member to give a gift – a Taylor Swift clock. If you say it isn’t the best gift you’ve ever received, the Ghost of Christmas Present melts down and shares a funny, short scene that the audience can’t help but make the audience laugh.
Acts more serious – such as the ninth act, “This Is Us,” shares transparency with the audience, and reminds you that not everything has to be perfect, with the actors for the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Fred all kneel and recite a snippet of A Christmas Carol, under the supervision of the Ghost of Christmas Future.
After reciting, they all get up and stand in front of different tables, and share moments of honesty with the audience – what bugs them about the Christmas season, what they wish they could change, traditions they dislike, and more.
On the topic of importance, when asked what the most important thing to deduct from the show was, sound lead Desmond Ducy said, “The most important part of the show is also the name of the finale, “The Power of Love.” While the show is hilariously funny, it also maintains the message of love and compassion that is so important in the original Christmas Carol it is based on.”
Filled with pop culture references and an unpredictable script every night, Ducy talked about the changes that the script and performers undergo each year, stating, “The show process was a very quick turnaround. Because the show has a lot of interactions with the audience and ad-lib moments, it was important that the actors could go off script but still bring back to the show. I have to be prepared to play off the actor’s improvisation.”
From sharing moments of laughter with the audience and showing the fun, happy sides of the holidays, to stressing the importance of imperfections and making memories whether good or bad throughout the holidays, Good Medicine Production’s Uptown Scrooge ABRIDGED! is sure to not only entertain you, but make you think deeper on what Christmas truly means.
