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There are those that look forward to the seasonal holiday performances, their consistency of tried-and-true holiday songs and trite story lines; and then there is everybody else: those who appreciate the holiday offerings of Dickens and Tchaikovsky, Zuzu’s petals and Bing Crosby, but seek out alternative ways to ring in the season. The Unicorn Theatre’s performance of The Salvation of Iggy Scroogeis mostly for the latter. A satirical Christmas play loosely based on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, its style and dark humor make it closer cousins to Brain DePalma’s Glam-rock, Faustian homage The Phantom of the Paradise or the contemporary holiday classic Scrooged.

Directed by Missy Koonce, Iggy Scrooge is a lively, irreverent, rock-n’-roll musical that masquerades as a holiday show. Cobbling together a small cast of heavy-hitting Kansas City actors and musicians, the show looks to be as much fun for the performers, rotating though a variety of roles, as it is for the audience. Koonce uses the Unicorn’s revolving stage creatively and sets the rocking tone from the beginning, which is the key to the success of this show created by bookwriters Larry Laresen and Levi Lee and composer Edd Key (in addition to some extra well-placed Kansas City references peppered throughout).

The story line is a familiar one: a pompous aging rock star, Iggy Scrooge (Matthew Rapport), is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve in an effort to curb his selfish and sinful ways. That’s about where the Dickensian parallel ends. The ghosts each offer standout performances. Marley (Rufus Burns), as in Bob Marley, laden with chains of broken CDs and LPs, capitalizes on every “wailing” joke in “Take Care of Business,” while he and his hilarious zombified, Rasta backup dancers warn Iggy of the impending ghostly visitors.

The Ghost of Christmas Past, looking fresh from his unfortunate plane ride, is none other than Buddy Holly (Matthew McAndrews). Complete with Holly’s trademark hiccup vocal style, McAndrews twitches and shakes through an impeccable Unicorn debut. The visit back in time to Iggy’s childhood school is one of the more memorable scenes, featuring Kelly Gibson as Young Iggy and the expertly crafted camp of Ron Megee as Sister Bull, a flagellating militant nun. The southern porch jamboree of Iggy’s musical roots and lost love brings the entire cast together for the spirited “Under the Cajun Moon.”

Not to be outdone by himself, Megee returns as the Ghost of Christmas Present, a.k.a. Elvis Presley, showcasing his true versatility as a performer and audience favorite. Megee high kicks his way through what is the standout number of the show, “Christmas is Rockin’,” followed by one of the most memorable audience sing-along numbers in recent memory.

Not straying far from the frightful Ghost of Christmas Future archetype, Matt Weiss channels a hybrid of Rush’s Geddy Lee and The Prince of Darkness, showing Iggy a fairly grotesque fate, less he change his crazy rock and roll ways. Other impressive performances were Gibson’s Tiny Tina, showcasing a great musical range both instrumentally and vocally. Erin McGrane (Rainbow) and Dean Vivian (Cratchit) play off each other well as Tiny Tina’s hippie parents, each adding their own unique voice to the ensemble musical numbers. Rapport’s Iggy is infected with the right amount of burnt out rock-n’-roller, which doesn’t make his sometimes off-key singing seem out of place, though he holds his own on the guitar.

For an alternative way to celebrate the holiday season, the Unicorn has produced an outstanding mature option for those of us that just can’t bear one more version of “White Christmas.”

REVIEW:
Unicorn Theatre and UMKC Theatre
The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge
Runs December 3 through 24, 2011 (Reviewed December 3)
Unicorn Theatre
3828 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-PLAY or online at www.unicorntheatre.org

Top Photo: Ron Megee in The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge (Photo by Cynthia Levine)