Unwrapping Bogan Literature’s A Christmas Carol

The award-winning creative team behind one of WA’s most popular Fringe World shows, Bogan Shakespeare, is back with a brand-new holiday spectacle. Set against the backdrop of Christmas Eve in Western Australia, A Christmas Carol will bring a hilarious and heartwarming reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale to the stage at Subiaco Arts Centre from Wednesday, December 4, until Saturday, December 21—with tickets on sale now. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with cast member Maiken Kruger to unwrap the full story.

Bogan Shakespeare has become one of Perth’s favourite Fringe shows over the years, but it seems Christmas has come early this year! What was it about Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that made you want to give it the ‘bogan’ treatment?

Awww, shucks. We really are super grateful to our dedicated Fringe audience! They’ve allowed us to spill Bogan out into the rest of the year, too! We love our audience, and it is well known that they are the sexiest audience around.

As for A Christmas Carol, well, it’s just such a universal story, isn’t it? Just look at all the different movie adaptations out there! Something about the message of even the most horrendous humans being redeemable just really strikes a chord, and these days it seems more important than ever to remind people of their humanity and maybe offer up some reasons to laugh and feel good, instead of worrying about the state of the world.

Cultures around the world celebrate Christmas differently, but what would you say are the main traits of bogan Aussie Christmas?

Well, I suppose since I’ve lived in Australia myself for a few years now, I probably am, in fact, qualified to answer this question! I’d say: embracing the sunshine, having a BBQ, enjoying the quality weather with a few cold ones, throwing yourself into some sort of body of water when it gets too hot, and just generally being merry with your loved ones!

What role are you playing? And what’s fun about taking on their persona?

I’m playing several roles in this here bad boy! With Dean Lovatt, who has written, produced, and directed this and every other Bogan show, playing the lead character of Ebenezer Scrooge, the rest of the cast are all jumping in to play every other character, and there are a bunch of ‘em!

My main characters in our adaptation are that of Belle, young Ebenezer’s love interest, and Bob Cratchit—the overworked, underpaid, and generally harassed employee of Mr. Scrooge!

Belle is only but a brief glimpse into the past of young Ebenezer, but what I particularly love about taking on her persona is that she shows a moment in time where this hardened, horrible person actually softened and seemed more human. She represents that the man Scrooge becomes was not inevitable, but instead through the choices that he made in life in terms of his priorities.

As for Cratchit, well, I’m finding the contrast between how he behaves around Scrooge and how he is with his family quite fun. What seems initially to be a nervous, jumpy character is shown to be a genuinely loving, caring husband and father, and, well, I won’t give it away, but Cratchit’s final moments on stage are very rewarding to perform indeed.

And what other characters might we get to know in this story? 

Oh, you’re in for an absolute treat! The major characters of Fred (Scrooge’s nephew, played by Andrew Dawson), Jacob Marley (Scrooge’s former and now-deceased business partner, played by Jess Lally), and obviously the Ghosts of Christmas Past (played by Sarah Courtis), Present (Andrew Dawson), and Future (also Andrew Dawson) all have very fun, Aussie takes on them.

We even get to meet Fan (Sarah Courtis), Scrooge’s sister, who sadly passed away and the only person (other than Belle) who ever knew how to make him smile. Plus, there’s a whole host of extra characters thrown in for added hilarity, such as an incredibly annoying shop assistant (Courtis) and a very aggressive lady with a pram at said shop (Lally) to really show Scrooge what Christmas shopping in Australia at a place such as Garden City is all about.

What’s next for BS Productions? Is there another big summer on the way with Fringe on the horizon?

It sure is another big summer on the way! We don’t want to give away too much just for the moment, but you can bet your bottom dollar, even during cozzie liv, that you’ll be seeing us on stage again at Fringe World 2025 at the Heath Ledger Theatre as part of State Theatre Centre’s State of Play program for our ten-year anniversary at Fringe World! Ten years! Can ya bloody believe it?! Plus there will be plenty more shows beyond Fringe in 2025, too! You’ll just have to make sure you follow BS Productions on Facebook and/or Instagram so you don’t miss the news!

What message would you say to the Scrooges of the world this Christmas?

Lighten the fuck up before it’s too late, cobba. The future is forever in flux, and you never know when your end is nigh. May as well make the most of this beautiful world we were lucky enough to be born in and enjoy the ride while you can… and try to not be shit! Oh, and also: don’t be a stingy bastard—buy tickets and come and see the show!