Estella Scrooge is a Dickensian Musical Extravaganza. A modern retelling of A Christmas Carol with additional characters and plot lines from Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, Bleak House and other great Dickens’ novels.
Estella Scrooge is a Wall Street tycoon with a penchant for foreclosing. A hotelier in her hometown of Pickwick, Ohio has defaulted on his mortgage and as a Christmas gift to herself, Estella decides to deliver the sad news in person. Arriving at the Harthouse Hotel on Christmas Eve, Estella discovers that the mortgage holder is none other than her childhood sweetheart, Pip Nickleby. Always the humanitarian, Pip has generously transformed the property into a refuge for the distraught, disabled and displaced. A freak snowstorm forces Estella, much to her dismay, to take refuge at Harthouse. That night, as it happened to her ancestor Ebenezer long ago, she too is haunted by three visitations. And oh what uninvited overnight houseguests they are!
Dickens' classic Christmas entertainment brilliantly addressed class distinction and the need for social reform in the19th century. Our new musical arrives now at a time when Dickens' passionate belief in the overwhelming power of human kindness is needed more than ever.
About
When theater shuttered on March 12, 2020, no one could have predicted that stage doors would be locked and onstage works would cease, for a term of time that no one could have anticipated.
This past summer, we came together to see if we could re-imagine the process of realizing a musical theater production.
Knowing the challenges and restrictions that came with the arrival of Covid19, we assembled a team of award-winning creatives to bring Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol With A Twist to life, by digitally capturing the production in a unique and unprecedented way, one actor at a time.
We hope that the finished project brings vitality into a distressed industry and will inspire the exploration of new ways to bring the life-changing power of theater all.
A note from the Producers
“This is an incredibly talented and organized team of individuals striving to tell a story that is not only a reflection of our times, but a nod to great iconic figures of the past.”
-Tom Polum
Streaming Musicals
“I’m so happy to be bringing a new musical to life in these mad and maddening times. ... At a time of great conflict and hardship, I hope we can shine a little ray of optimism into the surrounding darkness.”
-John Caird
Director
The Company
Betsy Wolfe
'Estella Scrooge'
Clifton Duncan
'Phillip Pip Nickleby''
Patrick Page
'Mr. Merdle'
Carolee Carmello
'Marla Havisham'
Megan McGinnis
'Betty Cratchit'
Tom Neils
'Dedlock'
Lauren Patten
'Dawkins'
Danny Burnstein
'Ebenezer Scrooge'
EM Grosland
'Smike'
Phoenix Best
'Charity & Mercy'
Samuel Lee Roberts
'Mr. Flopson'
Kristen Faith Oei
'Ms Skiffins'
David Bryant
"Mr. Podsnap'
Michael Francis McBride
'Mr. Dombey'
Molly Gibson
'Molly'
Gabrielle Reid
'Mrs. Pumbleshook'
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Michelle Lee
'Ms. Noggs'
William Youmans
'Magwitch & Bagstock''
Kevyn Morrow
'Jasper Jaggers'
Sarah Litzsinger
'Sissy Juper'
Joziyah Jean-Felix
'Young Pip'
Adam Halpin
'Bob Cratchit'
Brooklyn Shuck
'Young Essie'
Willow McCarthy
'Tiny Tammy'
JOHN CAIRD
-Book & Direction-
John Caird is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm and a freelance writer and director of plays, musicals and operas. His National Theatre productions include Hamlet, Money, Humbleboy, The Seagull, Stanley, Trelawney of the Wells, Peter Pan and his own Olivier-award winning version of Bernstein’s Candide which is now playing in multiple productions world-wide. His recent directorial credits include Knights’ Tale and Hamlet both in Tokyo, Don Giovanni at WNO in Cardiff, McQueen at the Haymarket Theatre, Tosca in Chicago, Houston and LA, Love’s Labour’s Lost at the Stratford Festival in Canada, La Bohème in San Francisco and Toronto, Parsifal in Chicago, Twelfth Night in Tokyo, and his own musical Daddy Long Legs off-Broadway, in Tokyo and all across the US. His directorial work for the RSC has included over 20 productions of Shakespeare as well as classic and new plays, including Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Beggar’s Opera, Twelfth Night, Peter Pan, Our Friends in the North, Nicholas Nickleby and Les Misérables - the last two productions winning numerous awards in the West End, Broadway and all around the world. At Dramaten in Stockholm he has directed Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dance of Death, The Tempest, 12th Night, Gertrud and Merry Wives of Windsor. Other productions include Macbeth at the Almeida Theatre, Becket at the Haymarket and Song & Dance at the Palace Theatre. For BBC TV he adapted and directed “Henry IV” Parts I and II. John is also the Founder of the Mustardseed Arts and Educational Trust, a UK charity that raises funds for artistic and educational projects all around the world.
PAUL GORDON
-Music & Lyrics-
Paul was nominated for a 2001 Tony Award for composing the music and lyrics to the musical Jane Eyre. He won the 2015 Jeff Award for Best New Work for his book, music, and lyrics for Sense and Sensibility, commissioned by Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He is the recipient of the 2009 Ovation Award for his music and lyrics to Daddy Long Legs which has had productions all over the world and was nominated for 2 Drama Desk Awards, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award and 3 Outer Critic Circle awards. His critically acclaimed musical, Emma, was filmed and released worldwide in 2018 and can be seen on Amazon, iTunes and StreamingMusicals.com. No One Called Ahead, his latest filmed musical, is also available on Amazon. Knight’s Tale, written with John Caird, opened at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, 2018. The third in his Jane Austen trilogy, Pride and Prejudice has its World Premiere at TheatreWorks, Silicon Valley in December 2019 and can be seen on StreamingMusicals.com His other shows include: Being Earnest, Little Miss Scrooge, Analog and Vinyl, The Front, Juliet and Romeo, Sleepy Hollow, The Circle and The Sportswriter. In his former life, Paul was a pop songwriter and wrote several number one songs.
TYLER MILLIRON
-Director of Photography & Editor-
Milliron is a Creative Director based out of New York City. He merges extensive experience in Film, Theatre, Painting, Glass Art, and Music with focused, streamlined business acumen to create Artful solutions in today's media market.
BRAD HAAK
-Music Supervision-
Brad’s Broadway credits include music direction for Disney’s Mary Poppins, An American in Paris, Elton John’s Lestat, Il Divo - A Musical Affair; and as a pianist: The Phantom of the Opera, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Full Monty. Brad has conducted national tours of Disney’s The Lion King and Miss Saigon. Brad has previously collaborated with John and Paul on Knight’s Tale and Daddy Long Legs.
SOMIE PAK
-Costume Designer-
In 2018, Somie designed the highly anticipated tv pilot, Mélange, directed by Emmy Award winning director Gary Donatelli and Tony Award winning producer Tim Kashani starring Morgan Fairchild. In 2019, she was nominated for the Henry Hewes Design Award by the American Theatre Wing for her design of Mary Stuart. A self-proclaimed nerd and geek, Somie is a graduate of the University of Michigan and is based in Manhattan. In her spare time, she enjoys running her cosplay repair center as Nurse Patchit at New York Comic Con, dressing models for photoshoots and NYFW, dabbling in wardrobe on and off Broadway, and picking out the right sash for her World Domination poster.
ZACH WILSON
-Production Art Designer-
Wilson is a designer specializing in theatrical projections. He grew up in Northern California, and has worked on a wide variety of productions. A lover of all and a practitioner of many aspects of the arts, Zach has worn countless hats throughout his career so far as a projection, scenic, and graphic designer, as well as a performer, technician, and editor (to name a few). Although versed in a wide gamut of design styles, Zach often has a way of bringing a sense of whimsy into his work, and has been known to whisk an audience off into the story. Zach has a great appreciation for all art forms, but musical theatre certainly has his heart.
DENA OLIVIERI
-Hair & Makeup Design-
Olivieri is a NYC based Makeup Artist for Film, TV and Theater, as well as being an alumni of the Make Up For Ever Academy NY and Cinema Makeup School LA. Dena has studied under some of the most well respected make-up artists in the industry such as Ve Neill, Dany Sanz, Craig Lindberg, Rod Maxwell, Etc. Dena has worked on various TV shows, theater productions, short/feature films, commercials and live events. Efficient in camera ready makeup as well as speciality SFX & theatrical styles.
TARA RUBIN
-Casting-
Broadway: Sing Street, Ain't Too Proud, King Kong, Dear Evan Hansen, Aladdin, Phantom Of The Opera, The Band's Visit, Indecent, Jersey Boys, Summer, Prince Of Broadway, A Bronx Tale, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Cats, Falsettos, School Of Rock, Billy Elliott. Regional: Yale Rep (16 seasons) The Old Globe, Asolo, La Jolla Playhouse,Papermill Playhouse.
DAVID BRYANT
DAVID BRYANT PRODUCTIONS
-Producer –
Past Productions: Broadway – Getting the Band Back Together (starring Marilu Henner and directed by John Rando), Come From Away (under Michael Alden Productions), A Time to Kill (based on the novel by John Grisham, his first novel to play adaptation and production with lead producer Daryl Roth), A Tale of Two Cities, the musical. Off Broadway: Daddy Long Legs, John Caird and Paul Gordon musical, (DRAMA DESK AWARD), Wiesenthal (starring Tom Dugan, DRAMA DESK and OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE NOMINATIONS), Lonesome Traveler, the musical (DRAMA DESK AND OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE NOMINATIONS) Streaming/Television: Emma, the musical, and Pride and Prejudice, the musical, both written by Paul Gordon and available through streamingmusicals.com. Upcoming Projects: Estella Scrooge, by John Caird and Paul Gordon, A Christmas Carol with a modern twist. Film: Lilly (written and directed by Rachel Feldman, lead producer J. Todd Harris Lilly is a dramatic feature film based on the remarkable life of Lilly Ledbetter, the woman about whom President Obama named his first piece of legislation - The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act.) TV: “Noisey Nation,” a digital rap series competition around the US, partnered with Vice, Viceland, A and E network, and RocNation. Other projects via Dorian Productions (digital series in development) Country Soundstage and Latin Soundstage. As an actor, David performed on Broadway in Amadeus, Sunday in the Park with George, and Showboat. He starred as the original Marius in the Broadway company of Les Misérables. He also appeared in the Off-Broadway play, Appear and Show Cause, for which he won the Adelco Award for Best Actor. Spanning an acting career of over 30 years on stage, film and television, David has had the pleasure of working with Sir Peter Hall, Ian McKellan, Steven Sondheim, James Lapine, Sir Trevor Nunn, Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Hal Prince, Frank Langella, Elaine Stritch, John McMartin, Jeremy Northam, Marissa Haggerty, Vincenzo Natali, among others. He can be heard on the original Broadway recordings of Les Misérables and the revival of Hal Prince’s Showboat.
NATALIE LAMONTE
-Choreographer –
Recent Collaborations: 2019 Every Woman Biennial (La Mama Galleria) – Choreographer; 2019 Sentiments Of The Shooting Stars (Ailey/Fordham BFA Fall Concert) – Choreographer; 2020 Goddess Logic (Music Video) – Choreographer; 2020 Iron & Coal (Gerald W. Lynch Theater) – Director, Choreographer; 2020 Rise From Our Hearts (collab. with visual artist & musician) (The Soap Gallery, Youngstown, OH) – Choreographer. Current Collaborations: Estella: A Christmas Carol (StreamingMusicals.com) – Choreographer; CL Dance Dimensions (studio, company) – Associate Creative Director. Projects Postponed: Boys Will Be Boys (The Pond Theater Co.) – Choreographer at 59e59 Theaters, NYC - orig. dates Mar-Apr 2020; Pieces of the Moon (One Year Lease Theater Co.) – Choreographer at Stages Repertory Theatre, Houston - orig. dates Aug-Sept 2020.
KATHERINE WHITE
-Prop Design-
Katie is an NYC based Prop Designer and Food Stylist. Her most recent work can be seen in Marry Harry and Emma on Streaming Musicals. Katie has worked with various companies throughout New York including; New York City Children's Theater, Hunter College, New York University, Astoria Performing Arts Center, and Queens Theater in the Park. She is delighted to be a part of Estella and is excited to start creating art again!
MICHAEL JACKOWITZ
WITZEND PRODUCTIONS
-Producer –
CURRENT PRODUCTIONS: Diana (Longacre Theatre/Broadway, spring 2021). Once on This Island (TONY AWARD). Escape to Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett. Lifespan of a Fact starring Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones and Bobby Cannavale. UPCOMING (WitzEnd) PROJECTS: The Hawaiian Goddess by Keali’i Reichel, Patrick Makuakane and Roslyn Catracchia; Poseidon by Jonathan Prince and Andrew Lippa; Dark of the Moon, by Jonathan Prince, Lindy Robbins and Dave Bassett. PAST PRODUCTIONS: Tuck Everlasting (Broadway), Daddy Long Legs (Off- Broadway, Davenport Theater), the first show ever live-streamed from NYC. Séance on a Wet Afternoon, an opera by Stephen Schwartz (Lincoln Center, Opera Santa Barbara). How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Broadway) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Darren Criss and Nick Jonas (TONY NOMINATION), PIPPIN (Menier Chocolate Factory in London), The Best Is Yet To Come/The Music of Cy Coleman (DRAMA DESK AWARD), My Fairytale by Stephen Schwartz, My Antonia, It’s Only Life by John Bucchino, directed by Daisy Prince and the West Coast Premiere of tick, tick...BOOM!. Michael served as the Musical Theater Liaison for the Harold Prince Musical Theater Program at The Directors Company in New York (1993) and is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute’s Producing Seminar (1996) in New York. He continues to serve as Rubicon Theatre’s Director of New Work in California. He is the Founding Partner of WitzEnd Productions, formed in 2013 for the creation of New Work with partners Marvin Kahan, Jeffrey Grove, Laura Dean-Koch, Anne Towbes and Kevin Surace.
MICHAEL ALDEN
-Producer –
BROADWAY: Come From Away, Disgraced (Pulitzer Prize 2013), Grey Gardens, Bridge & Tunnel on Broadway by and with Sarah Jones (2006 Special Tony Award). WEST END: Come From Away (2019 Olivier for Best Musical) David Seidler’s original play, The King’s Speech and the
multi-award-winning Bat Boy the Musical.
OFF-BROADWAY: Not That Jewish,, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, Sarah Jones’ Bridge & Tunnel, Bat Boy the Musical, Save It For The Stage: The Life Of Reilly, written and starring Tony Award winning Charles Nelson Reilly. FILMS: UnZipped, Just Cause, The Zookeeper, Kissing Jessica Stein, and My Beautiful Stutter. In Development: feature length documentaries, When Reagan Killed Roosevelt, Just Say Yo! and the supernatural feature film, Cursed.
STREAMING MUSICALS
-Executive Producers-
Streaming Musicals is made up of a group of Artists who want to make it easier for you to watch musicals and plays. We capture the magic of theatre on film and bring it directly to all of your devices. We focus on storytelling, character, and music and we do it because we love theatre and want to share it with the world. Since the formation of the company in 2016 Streaming Musicals has produced and co-produced musicals that have reached hundreds of thousands of eyes and in an unprecedented event, typically reserved for shows that have had a New York run, received a licensing deal from Music Theatre International.
BEV RAGAVOY & DAWN SMALBERG
-Associate Producers –
Press
