Ebenezer Scrooge sings and dances and delights audiences of all ages in Leslie Bricusse’s Scrooge! The Musical, a holiday gift from Chance Theater so toe-tappingly tuneful, even the grinchiest grouch will be powerless to resist his crochety charms.

Based on the 1970 big-budget widescreen musical extravaganza that starred an aged-up-and-down Albert Finney in the title role, Scrooge! The Musical signals from the get-go that this Ebenezer’s bah-humbug cantankerousness is designed to tickle our funny bones.

And tickle them he does from the moment Scrooge (Bruce Goodrich in the proverbial role of a lifetime) declares in no uncertain terms “I hate people. Yuletide-loving, second-rate people!,” decries the “infernal horrible caterwauling” of the Cockey street urchins’ “‘Ark the ‘erald hayngels sing,” and scowls at the unwelcome arrival of his nephew Harry (Corydon Melgoza, filled with good cheer), then goes on to make his feelings perfectly clear in “I Hate Christmas,” specifying that it’s not just Christmas he despises but also “females,” “nasty, smelly children,” and anything else that has him blurting out a great big “Bah!” followed by and even bigger “Humbug!”

 Plotwise, there’s nothing in Bricusse’s book that we don’t pretty much already know by heart, but it’s not the tale as old as Dickens that makes this screen-to-stage adaption such a nonstop treat.

It’s the spirit of Yuletide cheer that’s there from the get-go when Scrooge oh so grumpily agrees to give his browbeaten clerk Bob Cratchit (Matt Takahashi, likable as ever) the day off to spend with his wife Mrs. Cratchit (a fine Megan Sigler), his preteen daughter Kathy (perky Grace Jenkins), and his pint-sized youngest Tiny Tim (Audrey Moore winning hearts left and right).

And this joie-de-Christmas doesn’t let up even as Scrooge gets visited by his chain-bearing dead business partner Jacob Marley (Justin Ryan, oozing evil) and later by the loveliest of ghosts of Christmas Past (the exquisite Kayley Stallings, who doubles as Ebby’s beloved sister Jenny).

The holly-jolly Ghost of Christmas Present (Winston Peacock, a mountain of infectious mirth) shows up next, and yes, the Ghost Of Christmas Yet-To-Come is about as scary as ghosts get, but since this Scrooge has no idea that the Londoners out on the street celebrating are doing so because he’s finally done them the favor of dying and blithely assumes it’s because he’s done something wonderful to make them happy, by the time he’s got the entire town joining in on “Thank You Very Much,” we’ve long ago been swept off our feet by his irascible bad nature.

 I absolutely love the lighthearted spin Bricusse’s book gives Dickens’ 1843 novella, and the London legend’s music and lyrics simply couldn’t be more tuneful or clever.

Add to that James Michael McHale’s supremely inventive direction and the inestimable design contributions of Masako Tobaru (set and lighting), Gwen Sloan (costumes), James Markoski (sound), Bebe Herrera (props), and Nick Santiago (projections, in particular those that turn a stageful of sheet-shrouded specters into the scariest of future ghosts) and you’ve got the Christmasiest December musical Chance Theater has done in I don’t know how long.

Goodrich, who returned to the stage earlier this year in Such Small Hands after decades devoted to design, now proves himself a musical theater star to be reckoned with as both the meanest man ever to walk the face of this earth and as a performer who can sing an emotion-packed power ballad like “I’ll Begin Again” like nobody’s business.

Most captivating of all among supporting players is Adam Leiva, whose song-and-dance turn as Tom Jenkins in a pair of showstoppers, “Father Christmas” and “Thank You Very Much,” give Oliver!’s Artful Dodger a run for his scene-stealing money, but there’s not a weak link among his castmates.

A charming Jack Thomas Aitken as Punch & Judy Man & Others, the enchanting Sydney DeMaria as Mrs. Dilber & others, the power-piped Sophie Sonntag as Isabel & Others, and a warm and wonderful Lizzie Spellman as Mrs. Fezziwig & Others complete the multitalented cast, most of whom also get to provide live Foley effects, with special snaps to the truly scary sounds of clanking chains from all over the stage.

Oh, and did I mention that the entire cast reveal considerable dance chops throughout the show, hoofing it up to Niko Montelibano’s sparkling choreography as they vocalize to perfection under solo piano accompanist Lex Leigh’s impeccable music direction.

Aaron Lipp and Emmanuel Madera are assistant directorss. Jordan Jones is stage manager. Wylie Aitkin is dramaturg. Glenda Morgan Brown is dialect coach. Shinshin Yuder Tsai is casting director. Charlotte Santulli and Amy Sorensen alternate as Kathy and Tiny Tim with the Opening Night performers reviewed here.

I’ve lost count of all the different versions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol I’ve seen over the years, but I daresay not one of them can top Scrooge! The Musical where fun is concerned. With Bruce Goodrich positively reinventing the role of the stingiest skinflint ever to walk the streets of London, I dare anyone’s heart not to grow three sizes by the time curtain calls come around.

Chance Theater, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills.
www.chancetheater.com

–Steven Stanley
December 6, 2025
Photos: Doug Catiller

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: Chance Theater, Leslie Bricusse, Orange County Theater Review