Every year after Thanksgiving, theaters all over America perform versions of “A Christmas Carol” and holiday-themed movies bombard television screens.

The Des Moines Drama Workshop decided to do something different to celebrate the season.

“Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” will be performed through Dec. 14 at the Stoner Theatre in Des Moines.

“I saw the title, and it made me laugh, so I spent five days on the Internet looking for it, since it’s not published yet,” says Denis Hildreth, president of the board of directors for the Drama Workshop and director of the show.

This is the show’s Iowa premiere. Currently, “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” is only being produced in two other cities: New Orleans and Cleveland.

“We’re pretty pleased,” says Eric Paul Axness, who plays Tiny Tim. “There were a number of little companies in Des Moines that wanted to do it and we scooped it up from them.”

The play was written by Christopher Durang. Durang won the Obie, an off-Broadway theatre award, for “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You” and was nominated for a Tony award for “A History of the American Film.”

“I think this play is sillier than his usual works, which is exactly what the workshop was looking for,” Axness says. “It’s a farce, a spoof of a Dickens Christmas story.”

“Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” is a satire of typical Christmas stories.

“It is the story of Mrs. Cratchit, who hates her existence in 19th century London and is seeking a way out,” Hildreth says.

Her plan to escape her life is to get drunk and jump off the London Bridge. Kelli Butz portrays Mrs. Cratchit.

“Oh, the poor woman,” Butz says. “She’s fed up with her life and you can’t help but feel sorry for her.”

Although Mrs. Cratchit and her family are the main focus of the play, they are not the only ones in this twisted tale.

Butz says the story line is full of characters from other Christmas tales including Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” There are also scenes from other holiday tales interlaced with the show, such as a scene in the orphanage where Oliver Twist grew up.

Even with all the classic holiday characters, “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge” stays far from ordinary with its satiric nature and outrageous plot.

“It’s not your normal Christmas show,” Hildreth says. “It is not sweet and sentimental at all. It has bite to it.”