Team effort drives Scrooge!

As everyone knows, Christmas is a time of giving. As Jeff Babcock has found out, that holds true when it comes to the stage as well.

Babcock is directing Scrooge!, the Valley Performing Arts production which opens tonight at the Fred and Sara Machetanz Theatre in Wasilla. The production is one of the largest VPA has undertaken, and Babcock said he has been floored by the community effort.

"It has been so incredible to work with so many people who have given everything for this production," Babcock said. "The big thing that has blown me away is how this whole group has united, from the musicians to the actors to the tech people. Sure, we all have our difficulties and our egos, but everybody has pulled together for this one."

The end result could be one of the biggest and best productions VPA has produced. Between 50 and 60 people have worked on the set in varying capacities, and there will be more than 150 costumes being worn.

"Just the number of costumes was overwhelming at first," Babcock said.

The immense responsibilities of producing a large-scale show like Scrooge! is something that took Babcock back a few years.

"I've done professional theater on the East Coast when I was younger, and the things I've seen during this show remind me of some of the things I saw there," Babcock said. "It's reminiscent of when the big shows would come through back then."

Scrooge! is a musical, which brings a whole other set of worries, Babcock said.

"Last year, I said I was interested in doing A Christmas Story, and Grant [Olson] asked if I'd be interested in Scrooge! instead," Babcock said. "I told him I was a dramatic actor, not a musician, and I didn't know if I wanted to do it or not. He told me it wouldn't be a problem, that we'd get a musical director to handle the music."

That sounded easy enough. But then Babcock started talking to musical directors around the area, and was met with unwillingness around every corner. Finally, Teri Pontius stepped forward and said she'd work with Babcock.

"Scrooge! wouldn't have happened without her. It's that simple," Babcock said. "You can't have a musical without the music, and she has done a great job with it. Every person I'd talk to didn't want to do it or couldn't because they had so many other things going on around Christmas. Even Teri has another project going on, but she still decided to do it."

Pontius worked closely with Babcock and choreographers Nicole and Anita Mitchell to make the musical end of Scrooge! successful, Babcock said.

Working with a musical team and a large acting team at the same time proved to be another hurdle for the cast to overcome.

"With a production this big, the logistics were very, very complicated. Just working with the schedules of everyone was hectic enough," Babcock said. "But it goes back to that incredible community effort. Dave [Putnam, the set designer] literally pulled an all-nighter painting cobblestones the other night. Whenever we've needed something done, somebody has stepped up and did it."

Scrooge! promises something for people who enjoy the many different aspects of theater. The music may capture some. The story will surely capture others. The costumes are elaborate, and people will notice. And the set, Babcock said, is unlike any other.

"It is an elaborate, exceptional set," Babcock said. "I'm not boasting, but it is almost like Broadway with the amount of detail and the quality of the set."

With everything firmly in place, now Babcock can sit back and enjoy the show, just like the audience will be able to do starting tonight.

"The other day I was sitting there taking notes and thought to myself, 'Wow, this is really, really good,'" Babcock said. "I hope the rest of the people see it that way, too. I'm really proud of the of way things have turned out."