Richmond Triangle Players kicks off holiday season with “Scrooge in Rouge” November 15th

Richmond Triangle Players kicks off the holiday season with the return of an audience favorite.  Scrooge in Rouge: An English Music Hall Christmas Carol opens Friday November 17, 2023, at 8 pm, following two low-priced previews on Wednesday and Thursday, November 15 and 16 at 8 pm. The production will run for through Saturday December 23.

Merry, madcap and melodious, Scrooge in Rouge is a Victorian-era music hall version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, in which 17 members of the Royal Music Hall 20-Member Variety Players have taken ill from the cast party the night before, leaving only Charlie Schmaltz (August Hundley), an animated character actor, Lottie Obligato (Wette Midler), a bubbly, over-the-hill ingénue, and Vesta Virile (Nora Ogunleye), a male impersonating diva, to play and sing all the parts in the show.

The undaunted trio gamely face missed cues, ill-fitting costumes, and solving the problem of having no one to play Tiny Tim in the second act! Done in the style of British Music Hall, Scrooge In Rouge abounds in bad puns, bawdy malapropisms, naughty double-entendres, and witty songs. A raucous holiday treat and an audience favorite – RTP’s first production was in 2009 at Virginia Rep’s Theatre Gym, and then again in 2017 at RTP’s Robert B. Moss Theatre.

This new production is directed by Kendall Walker, with musical direction by Elle Meerovich (who also plays the onstage accompanist Alfie da Capo) and choreography by Calvin Malone.  August Hundley returns to the RTP stage after appearing in The Inheritance, The Rocky Horror Show and Log Cabin. Wette Midler is returning to RTP as a performer after playing the lead in Charles Busch’s Times Square Angel in 2019. Nora Ogunleye has made frequent appearances with RTP, including The Rocky Horror Show, Stonewallin’ and Log Cabin.

Scrooge in Rouge has book and lyrics by Ricky Graham, additional material by Jeffery Roberson, other interesting bits by Yvette Hargis and original music composed by Jefferson Turner. Set Design is by Frank Foster, Costume Design is by Sheila Russ,  Makeup and Hair Design is by Wette Midler’s alter ago Luke Newsome, Lighting Design is by Weston Corey, Sound Design is by Joey Luck, Properties Design is by Tim Moehring, Technical Direction and Scenic Painting is by Rebecka Russo. Lauren Langston is the Production Stage Manager.

The production takes place at Richmond Triangle Players’ home at the Robert B. Moss Theatre at 1300 Altamont Avenue in Scott’s Addition, just northwest of the intersection of Arthur Ashe Boulevard and West Broad Street. Reserved seat tickets for all performances are on sale now and can be purchased online at RTP’s web site at www.rtriangle.org, through RTP’s Facebook page, or by leaving a message on the RTP Ticket hotline at 804-346-8113.