Starring Betsy Wolfe, Clifton Duncan, Lauren Patten, and Megan McGinnis
Directed by John Caird
Music and Lyrics by Paul Gordon
This apparently debuted during the difficult holiday season of 2020, when many productions were canceled or pushed back due to the pandemic. WitzEnd got around this by keeping the cast small, following strict Covid regulations, and filming on computer-generated sets. Oddly, there doesn't seem to be much about this online. I didn't hear anything about it when it came out, but its website trumpets it to the skies. How does this modern version of the most famous holiday story of all time look two years later? Let's start at the glass skyscraper in New York that's the home of Bleak House Insurance and find out...
The Story: Estella Scrooge (Wolfe) is the owner of Bleak House, a hard-hearted businesswoman who lives to please her stockholders and ignores the troubles of her assistant Betty Cratchitt (McGinnis). Estella travels to her hometown of Pickwick, Ohio to foreclose on the Heart House Hotel and build a shopping center in its place. Turns out it's run by her childhood friend Phillip "Pip" Nickleby (Duncan) as a home for misfits and people down-on-their-luck. Estella's insistence that she's shutting them down for the good of the community and to create jobs doesn't go over well with the residents, most of whom have nowhere else to go.
After she's stranded there during a blizzard, they set her up in the honeymoon suite. No one ever goes up there because it's supposedly haunted. Estella doesn't believe it...until she's visited by four very peculiar and familiar ghosts on Christmas Eve. They teach her a lesson in faith, charity and kindness, and remind her that Christmas is about a lot more than a business transaction.
The Song and Dance: Great music and decent performances liven up this unique take a beloved story. Wolfe starts off better as the frosty businesswoman who thinks she can't let anyone into her life; Duncan is warm and sweet as the kind young hotel manager who used to be her best friend, way back when. Of the remaining cast, Lauren Patten as supremely sarcastic reformed thief Dawkins and Em Grosland as sweet receptionist Smike are by far the funniest and get the best lines. Phoenix Best gets special mention for playing twins Charity and Mercy Peckinsniff and managing to come up with convincing personalities for both.
And if you're a fan of Charles Dickens' work, this will be a treat for you. There's references to Dickens' stories everywhere, from the name of the hotel and insurance company to the characters' names to who Estella's real parents turn out to be. You could spend a viewing just trying to count all the spoofs of and references to Dickens books and characters.
Favorite Number: We open with the workers at "Bleak House" explaining what they do and why they're booming during a tough time - they spend the least amount possible on their clients, preferring to save their money for the stockholders. Estella remembers how her mentor Marla Haversham (Carollee Caramello) reminded her to "Never Look Down" or open up her heart to anyone. Phillip reassures the oddball residents of Heart House that they're "Almost a Family," and family takes care of each other. He won't let anything happen to them, "Not On My Watch." Estella tosses out a lot of talk about how tearing down the hotel will allow jobs to "Trickle Down," but no one is buying it. Dawkins, Smike, and the other residents call her a "Barbie Doll" with no heart.
Marla Haversham wails about how she had been left at the alter and tried to keep Estella from following the same path, only to regret letting her freeze out her relationships. "Do You Believe?" She asks Estella. Estella doesn't, until a British rocker Ghost of Christmas past shows her how a "Minor Character" can become a major force in your life. The original Scrooge himself is the Ghost of Christmas Present, reminding Estella that there's an "Art to Christmas." Phillip admits he had "Great Expectations" for his relationship with Estella, and hopes they aren't dashed again. "The Best and Worst of Times" is Phillip's duet with Estella as they remember good times and Phillip hopes there will be more ahead, because "It's a Beautiful Night." In the end, Estella realizes that "It's a Far, Far Better Thing" to give than to receive...and to change now, before it's too late.
What I Don't Like: First of all, this is more-or-less a rock opera or comic operetta. There's actually very little spoken dialogue. If you're not a fan of musicals or of what amounts to a modern operetta, this probably won't be for you. It's also not for you if you don't know your Bleak House from your Great Expectations. You need to have at least a passing familiarity with Dickens and his books to understand a lot of the references and satire.
Let's discuss the weird sets. This seems to have been intended for stage productions - the website emphasizes that a stage script is now available. That would explain the cheap and obvious CGI green-screen background and special effects. The actors are supposed to look like they're performing onstage, but it looks as fake as it is and is frankly more than a bit chintzy. There's also the Covid restrictions not allowing for much touching, which just looks kind of weird. And it's way too long. This didn't need to be two hours. Some of the many numbers could have been cut or dropped with none the wiser.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out at least once if you're a fan of Dickens or stage musicals.
Home Media: Easily found on many streaming sites. Tubi currently has it for free.
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