Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge

Christopher Durang’s Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge is a parody of the classic story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Originally commissioned for Pittsburgh City Theater back in 2002, the musical comedy makes its way back to the Pittsburgh region at Little Lake Theatre Company for this holiday season. Setting the stage with a simple painted cobblestone floor, hay pile, lamppost in the center, and the room is decorated with hanging garlands made of beads, pine cones, and dried oranges (Emily Landis, Scenic Designer). As the Ghost (Chelsea Davis) takes Ebenezer Scrooge (Tony Bingham) through the expected journey throughout the Christmas past, present, and yet to come, they face unexpected hiccups and technical difficulties along the way that throw them off of their main journey and take us to an unexpected ending. Simultaneously, we encounter a miserable and mean Mrs. Bob Cratchit (Tonilyn Jackson), who ends up getting sucked into the story and tags along for some of the time travel. There are plenty of pop culture references such as Oliver Twist, It's a Wonderful Life, The Gift of the Magi, Touched by an Angel, and even the Enron Corporation accounting scandal, all as part of the grander scheme to throw the story awry. While you'll see that most of the characters still have their classic qualities from the original story, you'll also see that they’re over the top in such a campy way that it only emphasizes how absolutely awful, miserable and grumpy both Scrooge and Mrs. Bob Cratchit are. This delightfully absurd show is a guaranteed good time.

Chelsea Davis as the Ghost, the narrator of the story, had the audience eating up her every word. Her spot on comedic timing mixed with the character’s quippy dialogue was endlessly entertaining. Tony Bingham’s Scrooge was grumpy and mean, but full of life and energy in a way we don’t often see the character portrayed, paving the way to see him as an absolutely ridiculous and silly person. Tonilyn Jackson’s Mrs. Bob Cratchit is a favorite for me as the character with a personality the audience was the least ready for. She hates her family and her life, regularly declaring she’s off to throw herself off a bridge. Jackson’s delivery of every line was truly comically nasty, which was made even more entertaining by her silly goof of a husband Bob Cratchit (Michael McBurney). The ensemble was very strong, with everyone taking on multiple roles throughout with distinction from one another. Hats off, or should I say wigs off, to Gordon Robertson and Candice Fisher for their portrayal of the Fezziwigs - their scene may have been the most boisterous the audience was. The actions of this stellar cast resulted in endless laughter from the audience, and it was so entertaining for me to watch the audience’s reactions to all of the wacky things that happened. I couldn’t say the last time I’ve been in a room full of people laughing so hard, nor could I say the same for myself on a personal level.

“To suspend our disbelief in a joint community and laugh or cry at something but moments ago would not have moved you. I believe we do not allow ourselves enough opportunity to dip into this ridiculousness, an unashamed joy of life itself.” Nathan Walter, Director’s Note

This production makes great use of the space, perhaps my favorite that I’ve seen there. All of the scene changes were intentionally visible, with the actors acting through taking off set pieces, rolling out rugs, and Scrooge and the Ghost watching them do it all. That choice definitely helped with the pacing as there’s such a fast momentum with this story that traditional blackout scene changes would have disrupted the flow. With that, I must commend Lighting Designer Nicole White. The lights felt soft and vintage, easily designating where we were in the story with warm lights in the home and cool lights outside. Sound Designer and Composer Anthony Del Grosso’s design blended in so seamlessly with the action, bells ringing, cups clinking, that it almost felt like I was imagining it the way I often do with sounds while reading a book. Director Nathan Walter should be proud of taking on this absurdist piece and giving the community an outrageous experience to enjoy. Not everything needs a moral or to make total sense, and allowing yourself to accept that opens up the door for so much fun.

Little Lake’s production of Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge continues its run through December 21st. While the run has already sold out (well deserved!), I recommend going anyway and trying to get on the waitlist just in case seats open up, it’s worth the chance! Little Lake has an ambitious season coming up for 2026, including doing some shows in another space, and I look forward to everything that comes next.