“Humbug and Hog Wash!”

In explaining his Ozark take on “A Christmas Carol,” Chuck King, executive director of Alma Education and Arts Foundation, said he imagined what it would be like if Charles Dickens was living and writing in Chester, Ark., instead of London, England.

First off, the characters speak and sound a little different.

“Instead of British accents, everybody has a real strong Ozark accent,” King said. For the Ozark Scrooge that means adding a little country charm to his bitter dialogue. In an early scene, Scrooge dismisses his own family as “backward, ignorant hill folk,” he “calls kin” when his nephew annoys him with an invitation to Christmas dinner.

First performed in 2022, actors from the Skokos Performing Arts Center in Alma will perform “An Ozark ‘What The Dickens?!’ Christmas” starting Dec. 13 at Beard and Lady Inn in Chester. The Ozark take on the Dickens’ classic is an immersive theater experience that requires the crowd to move in, around and upstairs at the historic Beard and Lady Inn and Apothecary on Front Avenue in Chester.

For “An Ozark ‘What the Dickens?!’ Christmas,” Scrooge is reimagined as the owner of the Beard and Lady Inn. His chambers, where he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come, are upstairs in the historically decorated rooms of the inn. He also rents the rooms of the inn for exorbitant prices and owns all the farmland in Chester.

The apothecary and consignment storefront of the Beard and Lady Inn are Scrooge’s general store where he hoards his goods.

“He’s like the kingpin of the town,” King said. With the changes in culture come changes in characters and a healthy dose of humor.

“Some of the characters have been changed to kind of adapt to our culture,” King said. For instance, he added the character Miss Goodbody who “used to work at Miss Laura’s” brothel in nearby Fort Smith. She attempts to flirt her way into Scrooge’s pocketbook on behalf of impoverished children in the area. The results are hilarious.

She’s also just one of the many connections between the story and history of the setting, Beard and Lady Inn. According to town legend, the historic inn once housed a brothel, in addition to a general store, post office and antique shop.

Mary Ellen Hill, a team member at the Beard and Lady Inn in Chester, said that the building was restored in 2020 by Lacey and Lance Hendrix, who maintained the building’s classic details. The apothecary side of the business carries Lacey’s successful skincare brand, also named Beard and Lady, as well as natural healing products, herbs and skin care-making supplies. Several people in Chester also sell antiques and artwork on consignment in the space. The entire space is filled with historical artifacts.

The building was constructed by a former Union soldier and businessman, Jacob Yoes, in 1885 and serves as the perfect setting for a miser who is about to be visited by a bunch of ghosts. The inn’s adjoining dining hall is a venue for Fezziwig’s party where the cast will serve the audience a Christmas feast as part of the immersive theater experience.

“The audience isn’t just sitting in a chair and watching the play,” King said. “I don’t want to give away all the surprises, but we do engage the audience in some of the action. There’s songs. There’s square dancing. There’s the funeral scene that we pull the audience into. The audience is participants, not just observers.”

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FAQ

An Ozark “What the Dickens” Christmas

WHAT — A hilarious and immersive rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” set in 1880s Chester, Ark., with a complete feast including turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy with green beans, carrots, cranberry sauce and rolls with apple crisp for dessert and tea, coffee or cider to drink.

WHEN — Dec. 13-22

WHERE — Beard and Lady Inn, 411 E. Front Ave. in Chester (30 minutes south of Fayetteville, 30 minutes northwest of Fort Smith)

COST — Tickets are $75 per person and available by phone reservation only by calling the Skokos Performing Arts Center at (479) 632-2129. (Seven performances are sold out)

INFO — Search the event on Facebook and Skokos Performing Arts Center website.

CAST — Shane Bocksnick as Freddy, Greg Wilson as Bob Cratchit, Terry McGonigle as Ebenezer Scrooge, Marti Salisbury as Gertie Goodbody, Casey Goodson as Penny Coastal and Dick Wilkins, Steven Sellers as Jacob Marley, Jett Warren as Young Scrooge and Ghost of Christmas Future, Lance Hendrix as Mr. Fezziwig, Micaleigh English as Mrs. Fezziwig, Victoria Greer as Isabel Fezziwig, Maddie Cochran as Penelope Fezziwig, Layla Hendrix as Betsy Fezziwig, Justyn McEntrie as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Audra Bocksnick as Mrs. Cratchit, Leif Hendrix as Tiny Tim, Taytum Ryals as Belinda Cratchit and Lennon Hendrix as Peter Cratchit.