The Gospel According to Scrooge

Charles Dicken’s “The Christmas Carol”, is one of my favorite stories. Over the years I have gone to many different live performances, watched a video annually, and collected books with this title. A fun fact: ““The Christmas Carol” has never been out of print since its first publication in 1843.”

“The Christmas Carol” is truly a transformation story. Sometimes I need a reminder to be of good cheer and be generous with my time and money.

The program for “The Sherlock Carol”, where I used the quotes for this blog.

I have seen the traditional play many times. I have seen the play which incorporates the gospel message in the production “The Gospel According to Scrooge” (although the original already has a good news message). And now I’ve seen the play with twists and turns in “The Sherlock Carol”, a melding of two Christmas stories…”The Christmas Carol” written by Charles Dickens and “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s billed as a “fun holiday mystery” as the play blends aspects of both stories together in surprising ways. “A merry & mysterious mash-up” for sure! The writer was so creative and clever to combine these two stories. It is well written.

A very busy stage. Different stage settings were made by adjusting a table and shifting the lights.

Commonweal Theatre is in the small town of Lanesoboro, Minnesota. The theatre is starting its 37^th year of providing the community with amazing productions on stage. And they are all professional actors (this is not community theatre…although I think community theatre is wonderful too!)

“The Sherlock Carol’s” main characters are, of course, Mr. Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes. The remaining four actors (total of six actors in the play) are acting out the remaining 22 characters in the show! And they do an excellent job accomplishing that feat. It is witty, and funny, and very entertaining.

The stage of Commonweal Theatre, with patrons filling up the seats.

Theatre capacity was filled on this third performance, with many more performances scheduled through December. The stage was full of props, yet it jumps from different locations by “shifting the lights and adjusting a single piece of furniture”. Another feat accomplished well.

Although Lanesboro is a rather long drive from Northfield, stopping for breakfast on the way down and for a lite supper on the way home and seeing an excellent play in-between, made for a delightful day.

It’s “elementary (my dear Watson)” to highly recommend this uplifting production of “The Sherlock Carol”.

“God Bless us everyone.”

We are slowly going through all the stuff we have stored in our basement, in an attempt to downsize. Some things are easy to go through and get rid of, other stuff… not so much. I find it easier if I can go through boxes while sitting outside on our deck. The weather was conducive for that when going through my playbill box several weeks ago.

I have collected playbills over the years. After each performance, when I stashed a playbill into the designated box I kept downstairs, I thought to myself, it will be fun to go through these someday. Well, that “someday” has arrived. And it was a lot of fun!

This is one of my all time favorite plays/shows. We also saw this play in London, in 2003. I didn’t find the playbill from that performance.

I have saved a lot of playbills. Although I tried, I can’t say I’ve saved one from every play or concert I’ve been to, but there were hundreds, a box full, dating back many years…into the late 70’s. I found it interesting that some playbills did not have the year on the program. Really?! And one or two didn’t even have the name of the theatre.

I have always liked going to plays and concerts and had fun looking at the many different playbills from those I’ve attended. I looked over each one of them.

When we lived in Ohio for two years, I auditioned to dance in this traveling show.

The most memorable was from 1979, The Red Glove Review in Sidney, Ohio because I danced in that performance. It was a community event I auditioned for, was selected, attended rehearsals, and danced in the production. I enjoyed that a lot.

I went to see *A Year with Frog and Toad* with a coworker, as a retirement celebration.

We saw this play at the Historic State Theatre and two other times: at The Chanhassen Dinner Theater and at the Northfield Arts Guild (NAG).

Our one time at the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, TN in 1984.

I separated the playbills into various piles. There was a large pile from St. Olaf (with a few from Carleton). Other venues included: Northfield High School – band concerts and plays,

The NAG – Northfield Arts Guild (our community theater), various church programs, our boy’s recitals and science fair programs, the Merlin Players in Faribault and the Paradise Center for the Arts, Eisenhower Community Theatre (Hopkins), Commonweal Theatre, Old Log Theater (it has recently closed),

Northrup Auditorium, Children’s Theater, The Ordway, Orchestra Hall,

Concerts at Orchestra Hall, including from summer Pops Concerts in the 80’s.

Taylor University, Calvin College, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre,

Playbills from the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.

Sight & Sound Theatre in Pennsylvania and Missouri,

I’m missing a couple of productions playbills that we have seen at Sight & Sound.

Rock & Roll Revival and Over & Back venues in Northfield.

I also have playbills from a concerts/plays we attended in Vienna and London.

A fun concert we went to in Vienna, Austria.

We saw The Mousetrap in London (2019) and came home and it was put on by St. Olaf students a few weeks later. We also saw the plays *My Fair Lady* and *The Lion King* in London.

My favorite all-time story is The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. I watch a DVD every Christmas season and have attended many plays in different venues over the years.

This is one of my favorite playbills because it’s *The Christmas Carol*, and it’s sponsored by Dayton’s Department Store.

We went to a twist on *The Christmas Carol* a few times. *The Gospel According to Scrooge* was performed at a local church.

I will continue to go to The Christmas Carol productions when the opportunity presents itself.

Another event was my first and only opera; La Finta Giardiniera…an Opera Buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was held at my favorite venue on St. Olaf’s campus, Urness Recital Hall in 2006, and performed by St. Olaf students. The definition of Opera Buffa is: “a lighthearted and often very funny form of opera that typically depicts everyday characters dealing with everyday problems”. I don’t remember the plot of this opera buffa. I do remember thinking it will be the last opera I attend. Ha!

These days, the new mode of operation for some venues is to recycle the programs to reuse for other performances. From now on I will try (old habits die hard) to leave my playbill behind, as I will no longer be collecting them.

This is my oldest playbill…no date (!) but it might be from the 60’s, and it was held outdoors in South Dakota. I went with my parents.

I believe going through this box is one of several trips down memory lane in store for me.