A Christmas Carol

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A Christmas Carol is a musical with songs written by Alan Menken (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). The musical is based on Charles Dickens' famous 1843 novella of the same name. Scrooge's neglected fiancée Emily was originally named Belle in the book and other adaptations. The show was presented annually at Madison Square Garden from 1994 to 2003.

Productions

A Christmas Carol has been performed annually in December at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden from December 1994 until December 2003. In the December 2002 production, which used direction by the late Mike Ockrent and choreography by Susan Stroman, F. Murray Abraham starred as Scrooge.^[1] Other "Scrooges" have been Walter Charles, Tim Curry, Tony Randall, Hal Linden, Roddy McDowall, Frank Langella, Tony Roberts, Jim Dale, and Roger Daltrey.^[2]

Synopsis

The opening numbers are "The Years Are Passing By" and "Jolly, Rich, and Fat". In later productions the two numbers are combined as "Jolly Good Time." In the next number, "Nothing to Do With Me", Scrooge first encounters the three ghosts of Christmas in their real-world guises as a lamplighter (Past), a charity show barker (Present), and a blind beggar woman (sometimes cast as Future). We also see Scrooge's long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit buying a Christmas chicken with his son Tiny Tim in the song "You Mean More to Me".

The visit of the ghost of Jacob Marley becomes a large-scale production number ("Link By Link"), featuring a half-dozen singing, dancing spirits presented with various levels of makeup and special effects. One of these ghosts in this version is known to be an old colleague of Scrooge and Marley's, Mr. Haynes, who was said to be "mean to the bone", resulting in his charred skeleton. Other puns include another, headless spirit who wanted to get ahead.

The Ghost of Christmas Past sings "The Lights of Long Ago", a number reinforcing the character's signature theme of illuminating Scrooge's worldview. One notable departure from Dickens' novella in this portion of the film is its depiction of Ebenezer Scrooge's father, identified as John William Scrooge, being sentenced to debtor's prison while his horrified family looks on (a scene inspired by events from Dickens' own childhood).

The Ghost of Christmas Present gets two numbers, "Abundance and Charity" and "Christmas Together", in which he makes his point that Christmas is a time for celebration, generosity, and fellowship. The former takes place at a fantastical version of the charity show he was seen promoting on Christmas Eve, and the latter whisks Scrooge on a tour of London that includes the homes of his nephew Fred, his clerk Bob Cratchit, and Mr. Smythe, a recently widowed client of Scrooge's lending house.

The entire Christmas Future sequence plays out in song ("Dancing On Your Grave", "You Mean More to Me (Reprise)", and "Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today"), culminating in Scrooge's awakening in his bedroom on Christmas morning.

"What a Day, What a Sky" serves as a musical bookend to "Nothing to Do With Me", dramatizing Scrooge's new outlook as he races through the streets of London making amends. The film concludes with a reprise of "Christmas Together" featuring the entire cast.

Musical numbers

• "The Years Are Passing By" – Gravedigger
• "Jolly, Rich and Fat (A Jolly Good Time)" – Ensemble
• "Nothing to Do With Me" – Scrooge, Cratchit
• "Street Song"("Nothing To Do With Me") – Scrooge, Cratchit, Fred, Jonathan, Sandwich Board Man, Lamplighter, Blind Old Hag, Ensemble
• "Link By Link" – Ghost of Jacob Marley, Ensemble
• "The Lights of Long Ago" (Part 1) – Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge Family
• "God Bless Us, Everyone" – Scrooge's Mother, Fan (aged 6), Scrooge (aged 8)
• "A Place Called Home" – Scrooge at 18, Emily, Scrooge
• "Mr. Fezziwig's Annual Christmas Ball" – Fezziwig, Mrs. Fezziwig, Scrooge, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ensemble
• "The Lights of Long Ago" (Part 2) – Scrooge (aged 18), Marley as a Young Man, Emily, People from Scrooge's Past
• "Abundance And Charity" – Ghost of Christmas Present, Ensemble
• "Christmas Together" – Tiny Tim, Ghost of Christmas Present, Cratchit Family, Fred, Ensemble
• "Dancing On Your Grave" – Scrooge, Mrs. Mops, Ensemble
• "Yesterday, Tomorrow And Today" – Scrooge
• "The Years Are Passing By" (reprise) - Jonathan
• "Nothing to Do With Me" (reprise) - Scrooge
• "Christmas Together" (reprise)
• "God Bless Us Everyone" – Company

1995 Recording cast

• Punch and Judy Man/Marley as a young man/Undertaker - Christopher Sieber
• Punch and Judy Woman - Donna Lee Marshall
• Organ Grinder - Robert Ousley
• Grave Digger - Bill Nolte
• Mr. Smythe - Joseph Kolinski
• Jack Smythe - Andy Jobe
• Grace Smythe - Lindsay Jobe
• Scrooge - Walter Charles
• Cratchit - Nick Corley
• Charity Men - Robert Ousley, Martin Van Treuren, Walter Willison
• Old Joe/Mr. Hawkins - Ken McMullen
• Match Girl - Arlene Pierret
• Street Urchins and Children - Matthew F. Byrne, Jacy De Filippo, Justin Bartholemew Kamen, Olivia Oguma, Christopher Mark Petrizzo, P.J. Smith
• Sandwich Board Man/Ghost of Christmas Present - Michael Mandell
• Fred - Robert Westenberg
• Jonathan - Jason Fuchs
• Lamplighter/Ghost of Christmas Past - Ken Jennings
• Blind Hag/Scrooge's Mother - Andrea Frierson Toney
• Mrs. Mops - Darcy Pulliam
• Ghost of Jacob Marley - Jeff Keller
• Judge - Michael H. Ingram
• Scrooge at 8 - David Gallagher
• Fan at 6 - Mary Elizabeth Albano
• Scrooge's Father/Undertaker - Michael X. Martin
• Scrooge at 12 - Ramzi Khalaf
• Fan at 10 - Jacy De Filippo or Olivia Oguma
• Fezziwig - Gerry Vichi
• Scrooge at 18 - Michael Christopher Moore
• Mrs. Fezziwig - Mary Stout
• Emily - Emily Skinner
• Tiny Tim - Matthew Mezzacappa
• Mrs. Cratchit - Joy Hermalyn
• The Cratchit Children - Mary Elizabeth Albano, Betsy Chang, David Gallagher, Sean Thomas Morrissey
• Sally, Fred's Wife - Natalie Toro
• Ensemble - Joan Barber, Leslie Ball, Renee Bergeron, Christophe Caballero, Candy Cook, Madeleine Doherty, Mark Dovey, Donna Dunmire, Melissa Haizlip, Michael Howard-Jones, Mark S. Hoebee, Don Johanson, Eric H. Kaufman, John-Charles, Kelly, David Lowenstein, Seth Malkin, Carol Lee Meadows, Karen Murphy, Tom Pardoe, Gail Pennington, Angela Piccinni, Josef Reiter, Pamela Remler, Sam Reni, Eric Riley, Rommy Sandhu, Erin Stoddard Tracy Terstriep, Cynthia Thole, Matthew J. Vargo, Billy Vitelli, Theara J. Ward, Whitney Webster
• Angels - Blessed Sacrament Chorus of Staten Island, PS 26 Chorus, Righteousness Unlimted, William F. Halloran Vocal Ensemble-School 22

See also

• List of A Christmas Carol adaptations

Notes

References

• "Official Site of the Stage Musical". http://www.thegarden.com/xc_theshow.html. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Musical Numbers and Scenes at guidetomusicaltheatre.com