“SCROOGE IN SOUTH GEORGIA”

by Ed Corson (From The MACON TELEGRAPH [Macon, Georgia] , Dec. 19, 2003)




"Bah! Humbug!" Since Ebenezer Scrooge first spat out that angry phrase, in the pages of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol, " published 160 years ago come Sunday, those words have summed up the bitterness of Yule phobics, soured secularists and Christmas curmudgeons.

The phrase is "Bah! Horse hockey!" down in Miller County on the flat plains of southwest Georgia. I heard Old Man Scrooge say it on stage Wednesday afternoon. There, in "A Southern Christmas Carol, " presented in Colquitt's Cotton Hall, Ebenezer Scrooge is a tight-fisted cotton gin owner, the richest and most hated man in a small Southern town in the Depression year 1933.

The show is a fresh musical translation of the well-worn story of 19th Century London. I've seen other adaptations of the work; this one really works. It's faithful to the original in much of Dickens' dialogue, character drawing and events, but it shows a sensitive ear for southern talk, music and religious sensibility. As Clarence Jordan's "Cotton Patch Gospel" is to the New Testament original, so Rob Lauer's musical is to the original Dickens story and its stagings. It is also good fun, a hoot that warms the heart

……In this version, Bob Cratchitt and Tiny Tim are replaced by Eppie, a black maid, and her grown polio-lamed son, Tiny. The delegation soliciting for poor relief becomes an evangelical missionary couple seeking funds to minister to Depression victims. In place of the Londoners who discuss Scrooge are farmers. Jesus comes into the picture much more than in Dickens' original. But the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future are there, as are Scrooge's sister, fiance and nephew Fred. So are the three crones who scavenge his personal effects. Appalachian and African-American carols precede the show. Among the nine original songs are "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked, " about Marley's ghost; "It's All Because of Santa Claus, " "God Bless Us Everyone, " and "Satan's Having Company This Christmas"--an hilarious comment by a trio of farmers on Scrooge's supposed death.


PICTURED ABOVE: Marissa McGowen and Jordan Coughtry (in top right photo) and Rubin Singleton (in bottom left photo) in the original production of “A Southern Christmas Carol.” (Cotton Hall Productions, 2003)

"A TRULY PEHNOMENAL SOUTHERN CHRISTMAS STORY”

By Barbara River Holmes

(From THE ALBANY HERALD, [Albany, Georgia], December 5, 2003)

“As a dear friend would say, "lovely."

There is no other single word to describe the Colquitt/ Miller Arts Council's first professional production, "A Southern Christmas Carol." Though the mastermind of 1843's "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens himself couldn't have written a better account of the spirit of Christmas. At least not Christmas in 1933 Depression-ridden Southwest Georgia.

"Daddy's family lost everything in the war," says Belle (Katie Wiegers), Scrooge's once fiancée, in a coy, sad and graceful Southern slur. "The whole lot of them ain't nothin' but sharecroppers now.”

…Written by Rob. Lauer, musically arranged by Steve Hacker and choreographed by Atlanta's Karen Beyer, "A Southern Christmas Carol" brings Dickens' tale of greed and giving one step closer to home, making Ebenezer Scrooge a wealthy cotton gin owner. "Bah, horse hockey!" the cold-hearted Scrooge (Peter Lewis — fabulous! hilarious! believable!) groans before his transformation into a Christian man willing to give his money to help those, as he says, inflating the surplus — that is, the poor.

Meant to explore some Southern themes like agriculture, racism and poverty, Lauer's play pays close attention to detail: cotton, overalls, accents, home-brewed liquor, biscuits, square dancing, gospel singing, Southern hostility and hospitality, “ain'ts” and hope chests, pork and collards. The 10-actor cast portrays 25 characters phenomenally, including the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-To-Be, farmers and Scrooge's maid, a woman named Eppie whom the old man just calls "girl." …"Yessuh, Mr. Scrooge sir," she often replies as Scrooge beats her down with his demoralizing words of superiority. …Though most of the world knows how Dickens' story ends, Lauer did such an excellent job of tailoring the original story to fit the South that one is eager to see how this story will end. The traditional and original music adds so much to Dickens' and Lauer's funny, sad yet inspiring story. Often the crowd was in laughter or tears.

…This season, treat yourself and your loved ones to something truly beautiful, honest and original and head to Colquitt for "A Southern Christmas Carol." You won't be sorry!

(PICTURED ABOVE: Peter Lewis as 'Old Man Scrooge' and Jimmy Bishop as 'The Ghost of Christmas Present' in the original 2003 production of "A Southern Christmas Carol.")

Dickens--with a twist!

“Beautiful--there is no other word for it! Moving and deeply felt!" The Albany Herald

"As Clarence Jordan's 'Cotton Patch Gospel' is to the New Testament original, so Rob Lauer's musical is to the original Dickens story…It is also good fun, a hoot that warms the heart..” The Macon Telegraph.

These are examples of the praises that critics lavished upon "A Southern Christmas Carol" when it made its world premiere in December 2003.

The show takes Dickens’ classic story of Scrooge and sets it in rural Georgia in 1933, during the heights of the Depression, when Jim Crow laws were still in effect. Despite these changes in location and time period, "A Southern Christmas Carol" is truer to Charles Dickens’ original novel than most traditional dramatizations of the story. As in the original novel there is plenty of humor--ranging from good natured ribbing to dark, biting social satire. And while there are scenes of deep emotion, there is none of the cloying sentimentality that is found in most adaptations of this classic tale. A show that's perfect for the entire family, this version Dickens’ story is one that will have added appeal to adults; the story’s familiar characters are brought to life as utterly believable, real and complex human beings. The musical score includes gospel, blues and country stylings--along with traditional carols."A Southern Christmas Carol" is the holiday show for any venue--from professional regional theatres to high schools and churches.

For information on producing this new Christmas classic, write us at: rlauernyc@aol.com