Mother Goose meets Charles Dickens in North Bend Entertainers play
Robert Stevens
Managing editor
12-8-2016
FAIRVIEW– A classic holiday tale gets the fractured fairy-tale treatment this weekend when the North Bend Entertainers of Fairview present their production of “A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol.”
The upcoming production takes place on Dec. 9, 10 and 12 at the Peterson Dance Hall in Fairview.
Bryan Spencer, North Bend Entertainers board member, says all the famous fairy-tale characters take on all of the memorable roles of Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.”
Spencer says you’ll never know who will show up next as the Big Bad Wolf (as Ebenezer Scrooge) meets his old business partner Jacob Midas (Marley), who could turn anything to gold. Midas warns Big Bad that he’ll be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (played by a Fairy Godmother, Old King Cole, and the Queen of Hearts respectively).
“The ghosts make Scrooge realize what a scoundrel he’s been to the Charming (or Crachit) family,” Spencer said, “and help him to remember what the Christmas spirit is all about. This fun-filled adaptation stays true to the warmth and heart of the classic.”
The members of the cast, all volunteers, hail from Fairview, Mt. Pleasant, and Moroni. Some of the cast you may have seen from previous productions and some are acting on stage for the first time.
Gatlin Jordan of Moroni leads the cast as Ebenezer Scrooge but with a fairy tale twist. Scrooge is actually the Big Bad Wolf with an ill temper to match.
“It’s fun (and a challenge) to watch all these young kids get their first taste of theater,” says the director, Hillary Smith of Fairview. “It’s great to see them come alive and take on the parts of Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffet, Rumplestiltskin and too many more to mention.”
This is a fun, fast-moving play, and the performance will last just over an hour. Performance times are Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door the day of the performance.
North Bend Entertainers is a non-profit community theater organization. It began as a result of a need to save the Fairview Dance Hall.
According to Spencer, the three-fold purpose of North Bend Entertainers is to raise funds to maintain the historic Peterson Dance Hall in Fairview, to provide a setting for local entertainers to showcase their talents and to provide quality entertainment at affordable prices for the community.
