Review: ‘Scrooge Must Die!’ at Actors’ Gang

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We’ve always needed Scrooge. This distant relative of Gregory House lets us indulge our capitalist misanthropy while offering the fantasy that our sins can be cleansed by a little show and tell. But Angela Berliner’s frenzied, dirty-minded “Scrooge Must Die!,” now at the Actors’ Gang, makes you long for the delicate Chekhovian pathos of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

This potty-mouthed cartoon imagines that Scrooge (Scott Harris, impressively committed) acquired his rectal obsession from cruel parents and employers. Imagine Mr. Fezziwig as a Dickensian Caligula, and you begin to get the picture. Violent (albeit simulated and clothed) sex abounds, insistent sexual metaphors for the abuse of power and corruption of intimacy. But rape can only get you so far — even in an evening this short — and all the leering and groaning soon wear thin.

That said, Berliner the director keeps a much tighter rein than Berliner the playwright, and her dark fantasia has real drive, even if it can feel like watching somebody’s homemade S&M videos. And there are strong turns, particularly from Toni Torres as Belle, the girl who got away, and Chris Schultz as Bob Cratchit, both of whom ground their performances without departing from the show’s grotesque style. Kathryn Poppen’s costumes hit just the right spot between period flavor and satirical pop.

I’m all for dismantling masterpieces. But what would happen if the Gang applied its bold style to a straight telling of this holiday classic? It might be pretty wonderful.

--Charlotte Stoudt

“Scrooge Must Die!” The Actors’ Gang, Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. No performances Dec. 25-Jan 1. Ends Jan. 10. $20-$25. (310) 838-4264. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

Caption: Scott Harris as Scrooge spanking Elora Dannon as Tiny Tim. Credit: Amber Koehler