Bah! Humbug! Rob Stuart takes on Scrooge in Hale Centre Theatre's annual production

Rob Stuart
photo by Nick Woodward-Shaw

By Haddi Meyer

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday treasure. Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey is a classic change-of-heart story, on par with The Grinch in terms of personal growth. He has been reincarnated as an animated character, Donald Duck’s distant relative, and dozens of other stage, film and literary appearances.

Every year, Hale Theatre in Gilbert pulls out all of the stops for their elaborate production of A Christmas Carol, and it has become a dearly loved and highly anticipated tradition. With over 50 performances, Hale needs two separate casts to handle the task of performing this show up to four times a day.

Rob Stuart is an accomplished actor, a prominent member of the ariZoni Board, and he is taking on this holiday classic for the first time playing the iconic Scrooge in Hale’s green cast of the show.  Cory McCloskey portrays Scrooge in Hale' red cast of the show.

Stuart officially opens in the show tonight and, despite a busy rehearsal schedule, he took some time to speak with me about the upcoming production.

What is it like playing this role for the first time in a production that has become an annual tradition?  

"It’s wonderful and very exciting and quite a challenging role which I also love. I have been waiting for this role for a while. I played Bob Cratchit in the same production about 5 years ago. I played him for two years, but then I decided that I can't wait until I get my shot. I hoped I would get my shot. I told Dave (Dietlein, owner of Hale Centre Theatre) a few years ago, I said 'you know if a spot ever comes open I sure would be interested.' I tell you that to illustrate how excited I am to play this role because I have been waiting for it for a long time. I am very excited about the challenge, both casts are wonderful. It’s going to be great."

When you learned you had the role of Scrooge, how did you feel when you found out you had it?

"It was kind of surreal that I was finally going to be able to tackle this role that I had imagined for a long time. At the Hale Theatre they tend to stick with their Scrooges for a time, so you never know when one of those roles is going to open up. When I got the news it was very exciting. It got me invigorated and ready to jump on it immediately. In fact I think I called the theatre that day and said ‘Hey, by the way can I get a script so I can start memorizing’ and that was months ago. As long as they will have me [I will continue in this role]."

What is it about your Scrooge that differentiates him from all of his other incarnations?

"I do my best when ever I take a role to not watch or listen to any other productions of that character because my ultimate goal is to have it be completely fresh. With a character like Scrooge it's almost impossible to do that because it's such an iconic role and character who is everywhere. It’s difficult but I try to do the best I can not to think of how I’ve seen it played before. I do the best I can to make sure I am making fresh choices with a character that someone has seen a million times. "

How did you find the nasty side of the character?

"That’s kind of a fun thing to do when you're finding that side of a character but it can also be taxing because that's not myself. A lot of the time I will pull from experiences I have had in the past and imagine, if I was a curmudgeon, how I might address people I meet. "

I know there are two alternate casts for this production, but you still perform many shows each 
week. How are you preparing to do so many performances of this show?

"Well the good thing is that since I have been fortunate enough to play many roles at Hale, I am familiar with at least doing five or six (shows) a week, but yes this is more. I shifted my work schedule around and my kids are a little older than they were years ago so it’s easier to make this schedule work. I also try to keep myself healthy. I make sure I have plenty of energy. When you have a heavy show schedule it can certainly weigh on you. My daughter is also in the green cast this year, and it’s my first show working with her. She plays Martha Cratchit. Part of preparing for this is preparing her for the schedule as well. She’s a sophomore in high school and I need to make sure she understands what the commitments going to be and how to approach it with her school work. "

Why do you think A Christmas Carol is such a beloved tale and one that has become a tradition for so many people to experience each holiday season?

"It’s a story about coming face to face with what's really important in life. Scrooge is blinded by his desire to have money and have control, and he’s a very selfish person and he worries about that and nothing else in his life. It’s a great story about him coming face to face with the results of that kind of life and how important it is to acknowledge your fellow man and acknowledge the people who love you and the people you can accept love from. It’s important for Scrooge to understand that he has all this wealth and he can use it to help people, and in the end he does.  To me it’s, ‘hey here's what the holiday season is about’ it’s about let's take a minute away from all this stress and all of society's expectations and let's remember family and let's remember giving. Maybe we don't want to be as hard and broody in the future. Let's remember what it's like to just smile and enjoy each others company. To me I have always loved this story and when I played Bob Cratchit when every single show ends I feel like now I am in the season. I get it. I am reminded every single show what's really important. I think that's why it’s so beloved it’s such a simple message, but it’s so powerful."

CLICK HERE for more information on A Christmas Carol at Hale Centre Theatre, which runs through December 24th