Ebenezer's Make Over: A new Play
A life-changing story & songs from the feminist men’s and women’s movements
Topanga New Times – April 18, 2025 - by Chloe Chapman
Ebenezer’s Make Over – A Timely, Feminist Musical
Longtime Topanga local and singer-songwriter Peter Alsop has been writing and performing children’s music and satirical music for adults nationally for decades. His songs are educational and often humorous, making important statements about society, culture, parenting, gender, sexuality, politics and more. Peter is part of the Geer family, and has been a fixture of the Theatricum Botanicum for the past fifty years, both as a performing artist and working behind the scenes.
I recently had a lovely chat with him about his current project, an upcoming performance of his 2004 musical compilation, Ebenezer’s Make Over, based on Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol, but with a fun, impactful twist. After watching the ‘make-over’ television show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Peter said it dawned on him that Dickens’ Christmas Carol was simply a ‘makeover’ story for Ebenezer Scrooge! Having been involved with the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) for many years, Peter thought “Wouldn’t it be great to makeover some of the patriarchal people on our planet!?” Scrooge’s story offered a perfect framework for a makeover with a new meaning.
Ebenezer’s Make Over is not about Christmas. It follows closed-minded Ebenezer Scrooge, steeped in patriarchal heterosexism, on his own personal journey as he rids himself of old toxic ideas about gender, diversity, privilege and the world that’s developing around him. The messages in this musical are exceedingly pertinent today, as the United States government tries to enforce outdated gender roles and limit the ways people can identify themselves. Peter decided to revisit this story and with the help of his musical director, Greg Hilfman, actress-director Ellen Geer, and a number of Theatricum actors, Lynn Berg, Gerald Rivers, Alan Blumenfeld, Christopher Gilstrap, Mark Lewis, Sky Wahl, CR Mohrhardt, Ianthe Marini, Robyn Cohen, Craig Lincoln, two of Peter’s grandkids, Quinnlyn Scheppner and Julius Geer-Polin, his cello playing nephew Marshall McDaniel and others, … they will perform Scrooge’s story for two nights at the beautiful Theatricum Botanicum stage on May 9th and 10th. Proceeds will benefit Theatricum as well as disaster relief for Topangans.
This is a chance for people to hear the works of some of the major songwriters from the feminist men’s and women’s movements. The show features songs by Peter, Holly Near, Geof Morgan, Romanovsky & Phillips, Charlie Murphy, Joe Jencks, Fred Small, Amy Fix, Tom Hunter, and Bob Blue. They are humorous, heartfelt and deeply meaningful, and can change your life.
Ebenezer Scrooge, the Dean of Students at a large university is suddenly made the legal guardian of Tiny Tim, when Tim’s father, Jacob Marley (Dean of Finance at the same university) dies. Scrooge ‘bah-humbugs’ his role as caretaker, while Tim grows into a bright young man who enrolls in the university on a basketball scholarship. He’s now known as ’Not-So-Tiny’ Tim, and he and his girlfriend Naomi ask Scrooge for permission to start a chapter of a feminist men’s organization on their college campus. Scrooge says “No!”, and he’s visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, who warns him that his closed-minded view of the world will cost him in the after-life, and that he must work to change his ways. Scrooge learns that he will be haunted by three spirits that very night. They will guide him on a journey through his past, present and future.
Most of the songs in the show were written in the late 1980s, but they’re still completely relevant to the issues we struggle with today. Peter and I discussed why it’s important that this show calls us to take action to support inclusivity and acceptance.
“With the current attacks on DEI and wokeness,” Peter said, “this play is a way for us to get these ideas out onto the table, so we can discuss them with a bit more nuance rather than simply shouting slogans at each other. ‘Wokeness’, for instance, is used as a negative epithet, but ‘wokeness’ is something wonderful that happens to us when we act more kind-heartedly and caring about each other. When we do that, we move away from a fear-and-money-based view of the world, and all of us are lifted together.”
Songs like Holly Near’s ‘I Ain’t Afraid’ and ‘Chromosoma Phobia’ by Bob Blue, and Peter’s ‘It’s Only A Wee-Wee So What’s The Big Deal?’ seem as if they could have been written this very year in response to the new anti-transgender legislation we are seeing in America.
‘It’s Only A Wee-Wee, So What’s The Big Deal?’ (Song from Ebenezer’s Make Over)
Peter and I spoke about the recent governmental attacks on gender identity. He said “Trump goes after marginalized and trans people, … and those attacks make life a lot harder for these folks. We have cast members with trans brothers and sisters. Most of us know or have relatives that are being affected by these attacks, … that’s why we’re doing this.”
The upcoming productions of Ebenezer’s Make Over will be video-taped in order to assist others who might want to reproduce this show in other locations. “Someone could do this show with just a piano player if they wanted,” Peter explained, “because the words of the songs are guaranteed to generate powerful discussions after the show. We will have a Q and A talk-back discussion with the audience, cast and special guests each night after our show.”
Here’s the link to hear the entire original audio version for free!
Ebenezer’s Make Over at Theatricum Botanicum is sure to resonate with a wide audience. The persistence of racism, sexism and transphobia in our country leaves many of us feeling frustrated and confused. It’s a scary time now, and I believe we all need the heartfelt conversation that Ebenezer’s Make Over evokes. We have to listen to each other and have these hard conversations if we’re going to end sexism and racism and begin to understand each other. As Jacob Marley’s ghost says, “we want to turn these ‘isms’ into ‘wasm’s!” We all need love and care, … even the Scrooges of the world.
Two shows only, Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm.
Regular - $25./ Helpers - $35.
Contact Peter if you’d like to discuss producing this play with your students or local actors at your high school, college, university, theater group or other organization.
Peter’s ‘Songs To Chew’ Audio Podcasts
I’d love to hear from you! Please Re-stack, Like or Ask a Question.
 | A guest post by
|