He is the man the crowd knows to hate at first glimpse, Ebenezer Scrooge. Charles Dickens 160-year-old tale of A Christmas Carol is one we all know, the story of a man so in love with humbug he cannot se his own folly. "Scrooge is an everyman ultimately, we are all Scrooge in some part of our lives," says Raye Birk, an actor playing Scrooge at the Guthrie. "We close our hearts, our vision, we stop seeing things." Birk has been the only man to play Scrooge on the Guthrie's new stage in downtown Minneapolis. "This is one of the great roles an actor can play." And on this stage what happens behind the scenes is pretty incredible. Standing five floors above the main stage we see the ghost of Christmas present lowered by pulley on his corn a copter, the creation of the Guthrie prop shop. "It's really cool to watch it all come together," associate props manager Sarah Gullickson said. Despite all the tricks a modern day marvel like the Guthrie can offer- it is the story that packs the theatre for 9 shows a week every holiday season. "There are 2 great redemption stories in western culture. The story of Christ and the story of Scrooge and we all know these stories," Birk said. The story of Scrooge teaches thousands of Minnesotans every year that money and greed do not make a man but rather love and giving is what fulfills a life. "This is a special time of year, a dark time, and somehow the candle of light of hope is lit by the story of Scrooge," Birk said with a grin. Click here for more info on A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie
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