Former high school basketball coach is the perfect "Scrooge"

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Over the 30-plus high school basketball seasons I've covered for The Morning Call, I've met more than a few interesting characters; none more so than Dr. Barry Glassman, who was the head coach at Southern Lehigh for four seasons back in the 1980s. He was one of my favorite interviews, a guy who always gave me interesting stuff -- win or lose. He also coached at LCCC before Southern Lehigh, and his daughter Leigh, I remember as a pretty decent player at Central Catholic before she transferred to Germantown Academy. Some former coaches fade away, never to be heard from again. But Dr. Glassman is still around and quite visible as he takes the stage every December as "Scrooge" in the Civic Little Theater's production of "A Christmas Carol." After years of wanting to see it, but always failing to do so, I finally treated my wife and daughter to the show today at the 19th Street Theater. All I can say is -- wow. Glassman is unbelievably good in this role. He might not like that I say this, but I will -- he is a much better actor than he was a basketball coach. And that is not a knock on his skills as a basketball teacher and tactician, but rather a compliment about how good he is in this role. I honestly can't imagine anyone here, in Hollywood, in New York City, Vegas, London, anywhere, doing a better "Scrooge" than Glassman. The whole production, which is filled with kids, was spectacular. But Glassman was simply brilliant. I am not the artsy fartsy type and if you're looking for a more refined, eloquent review of the production, look elsewhere. I went to this show basically because I've been quite busy lately and will be in the week ahead doing basketball previews, and I wanted to treat my family to something that could get me off the hook with them and also maybe, possibly, hopefully get me in the holiday spirit. Thanks to Glassman and this well-done production, I think I have a bit of that holiday spirit now. Even though I knew how it ended, I will admit to a few tears streaming down the cheeks as the previously dour, mean-spirited "Scrooge" becomes Mr. Generous. Those tears were also a testament to Glassman's ability because usually I only cry when I see the bill after a major car repair or seeing the weather forecast for my week at the shore. If you get a chance to see this show, do yourself a favor, and see it. You won't be disappointed.