‘Scrooge in Rouge’: A Review

“Scrooge in Rouge” is at the Open Eye Theatre until December 29. This raunchy reinterpretation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” features a talented cast and gorgeous design that brings Victorian-era maximalism to Open Eye’s minimalist space.

A baseline familiarity with “A Christmas Carol” and a general affinity for dirty jokes and 19th-century-style music is all that you need to enjoy “Scrooge in Rouge.” This two-act performance is a breakneck journey through a Christmas classic that pays homage to the original with familiar imagery and a few select lines. Any gaps in the story are filled with lewd riffing and plenty of tongue-in-cheek arguing as the cast of three tries to make up for their “missing company members,” who all got food poisoning the night before.

This is an extraordinary cast. Patrick Adkins holds everything together as the pianist (also in full costume and makeup). Abilene Olson, Maren Ward and Tom Reed are the trio at the center of the story. All three rotate through characters, though Ward holds steady as Scrooge for most of the play while Olson and Reed do the heavy lifting in costume and character changes. All characters have the same bawdy baselines, but there are some fun accent changes and physicality choices made, which prove time and again that physical comedy and dirty jokes are as timeless as comedy gets.

The cast of “Scrooge in Rouge” is having as much fun as the audience, which creates an exponential effect on everyone’s good time. Audience participation is encouraged — especially boos and hisses directed toward Scrooge — but our audience was a little too polite for all that. Maybe yours can do better.

The creativity and passion that all members of the production team bring to this piece are remarkable and likely a huge testament to director Joel Sass. All of the design and creative elements are seamlessly integrated into “Scrooge in Rouge.” A few specifics: Michael Sommers’ set design is boldly Christmassy and intricate in a maximalist way that implicitly understands the space, Heidi Spesard-Noble’s choreography is so fully a part of the storytelling that it feels like an extension of the performers rather than something that had to be taught and learned, and Kathy Kohl’s costumes are whimsical, beautiful and use seasonal colors to great effect. The Ghost of Christmas Oscar Wilde and Marley’s ghost are two favorites in a long list of favorite costumes.

Long-time readers of mine will know that there is nothing that I like more than a themed cocktail (or mocktail!) at an event. Open Eye is serving up something called the Ebenezer (I think I’m remembering that right?), and it did not disappoint. This gin-based cocktail is light, sweet and seasonal and was served in an actual glass by a bartender in a green velvet suit that rivaled some of the onstage costumes.

Because of the raunchy nature of the material, Open Eye recommends that attendees be at least fourteen years old. That said, a kid (I’d guess eight years old?) attended the performance I went to, sat behind me and seemed to have a good time. Based on the occasionally confused sounds I heard coming from them, I’d guess that 90% of the jokes went over their head, but they got swept up in the singing and drama and often laughed along with the rest of the audience. Personally, I wouldn’t bring a kid to this play, but it worked for that family.

I recommend “Scrooge in Rouge” for people who like wordplay, Victorian aesthetics and less-than-serious riffs on classic stories.

You still have until the end of December to see “Scrooge in Rouge” at Open Eye Theatre. Tickets are $30, although there are discounts available, so check Open Eye’s website for more details. The theater is offering one fully masked show on December 15. You can find those details and more on their website, listed below.

https://www.openeyetheatre.org/scrooge-in-rouge