Scrooged and Marley, with Ebenezer Scrooge and his Service Dog Marley, and the Water Glass Symphony
by Mary Wilson
For 35 years, the nonprofit Martin City Melodrama and
Vaudeville Company has entertained audiences in Kansas City with their humorous
take on show business and theater arts. After a rocky start to the beginning of
the 35th season, starting with an actress with health issues and
having to rewrite the script, in true theater fashion, Director Jeanne
Beechwood determined that the show must go on.
The entire show’s premise was based around this specific
actress and her service dog, so when it was determined that she was unable to
perform, Beechwood got to work. She tapped an old friend in the business to see
if he was available, and Beechwood and local actor Sean Taylor came up with a
new show.
“The theater was opening in two weeks. We lost the dog, the
girl and the Scrooge,” said Beechwood. “I was like, this is supposed to be our
35th season and it’s not looking so good. My dear friend Sean, who
has done a lot of tech work here in town and is foolish enough to help me here
when he can, stepped up to help me out.”
In two weeks’ time, the show was rewritten and the main dog
was re-casted. While still the same premise, the dog in the show is not an
actual service dog like the previous Marley. The traditional water glass
symphony that Melodrama fans have come to love at Christmastime was written for
four people, so Beechwood had to determine if the cast of two could pull it
off.
“By the grace of God, it all came together,” said Beechwood.
“The dogs outnumber us in this show.”
Scrooged and Marley features eight rescue dogs alongside the
two actors. The show opened two weeks ago, with the premise that everyone
dropped out, which works well for Beechwood and Taylor. They are able to play
up the fact that they’re pulling off a show with a limited number of people.
“All that’s left is us old-timers,” said Beechwood. “And it
works. We made it seem as though we could only put the show on if we used the
theater’s rescue dogs.”
Scrooged and Marley and the Water Glass Symphony is playing
now through January 1 at the Martin City Melodrama and Vaudeville Co., located
at 702 E Blue Ridge Ext. in Grandview. For ticket information, visit
martincitymelodrama.org, or call 913-642-7576.