“Mr. Scrooge!” remakes old-fashioned Christmas tale into modern musical


“Mr. Scrooge!” remakes old-fashioned Christmas tale into modern musical

The familiar story of Ebenezer Scrooge will be recast as a stage musical this December at Spartanburg Methodist College.

“Mr. Scrooge!” a modern and occasionally whimsical take on the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” will be presented at SMC on December 6 and December 7 at 7:00 p.m. in Gibbs Auditorium of Ellis Hall. The public is invited and the performance is free.

The musical was written and scored by SMC music professor Lanny Lanford while he was in graduate school at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. This will be the 38th consecutive year it has been staged – and the seventh in a row at SMC.

The musical features a variety of styles, from rock to salsa, without losing the original story’s meaning or leaving Dickens purists upset. Lanford directs SMC’s choral ensembles, including the college’s travelling chorus, the Troubadours. He earned his doctorate of musical arts in composition from the University of South Carolina.

 He achieved international acclaim by winning the International Composition Competition for “Les Chevaliers du Tastevin,” written in both French and English.


Large group of students on stage preforming the play Mr. Scrooge

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