Singin’ Scrooge

Here’s a challenge for an actor: Take on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, one of the most familiar characters in all of English literature and theater.

Actors as distinguished as George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart, Michael Caine, Alastair Sim, Albert Finney, Bill Murray and Mr. Magoo all have tackled the role.

So how is Patrick McHenry-Kroetch handling it?

“At the moment, it’s really exhausting. The rollercoaster ride is really intense,” laughed McHenry-Kroetch, who plays the miserly old man in the Spokane Civic Theatre’s new production of “A Christmas Carol: The Musical.”

One challenge is to capture the “iconic Scrooge” – the one everybody knows – while also making the portrayal unique.

McHenry-Kroetch has more experience than most at playing elderly literary icons: He did a brilliant job as Don Quixote/Cervantes earlier this year in the Civic’s “Man of La Mancha.”

“Quixote was an old man, but he viewed himself as a powerful man, bigger than life,” said McHenry-Kroetch. “Whereas Scrooge has much different body movements. He’s somebody really miserly, cut off from the world and doesn’t care about anything.”

In fact, McHenry-Kroetch occasionally needs to reassure some of his youthful cast members that he is not actually old Ebenezer.

“There are parts in the show where I’m screaming at these little kids, ‘Get out of my way!’ ” he said. “It’s important for me to let them know I’m just playing around.”

This version of the famous story began in 1994 as a holiday musical on the stage of the Paramount in New York. The songs were written by Lynn Ahrens (“Ragtime”) and Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Little Shop of Horrors”).

It proved to be so popular that it was moved to New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1996, where it was a fixture every holiday season until 2003. Its various Scrooges included Tony Randall, Roddy McDowall, Tim Curry, Frank Langella, Tony Roberts and Roger Daltrey.

In 2004, it was turned into a TV movie starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge and Jason Alexander as Marley. The rights to the stage version were only recently released to regional theaters; dozens of theaters, including the Civic, pounced on it.

“They did a really great job on the music,” said McHenry-Kroetch. “The first time you hear it, it’s catchy. It just sounds like good Christmas music.”

It closely follows the classic Charles Dickens story – with a few notable exceptions.

“There’s one interesting addition they made,” said McHenry-Kroetch. “It has Scrooge going back to his early childhood and seeing his dad thrown into debtor’s prison. As far as I know, that’s not in the story – but it did happen to Dickens.”

He said the Civic version will feature costumes evoking early Victorian London and a stunning set which makes use of large foam and fabric pieces.

Troy Nickerson, one of the most talented and popular directors in the region, is both the director and the co-choreographer (along with Cameron Lewis). Trudy Harris is the musical director.

The cast also includes Cody Garner as Bob Cratchit, Danae Ervin as Mrs. Cratchit, Benjamin Worden as Tiny Tim and Gavin Smith as Marley.