''Scrooge: The Musical'' is a 1992
stage musical
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
with book, music and lyrics by
Leslie Bricusse
Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films ''Do ...
. Its score and book are closely adapted from the music and screenplay of the 1970 musical film ''
Scrooge'' starring
Albert Finney
Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...
and
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' 1843 novella ''
A Christmas Carol
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
''. Bricusse was nominated for an Academy Award for the song score he wrote for the film, and most of those songs were carried over to the musical.
Synopsis
Act One
The musical opens with the company singing a Christmas carol medley as the city of London begins to reminisce over the coming of Christmas ("Sing A Christmas Carol"). Meanwhile,
Scrooge and his clerk
Bob Cratchit
Bob Cratchit is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens 1843 novel ''A Christmas Carol''. The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (and possibly Jacob Marley, when he was alive), Cratchit has come to symbolize the poor working condi ...
are visited by Scrooge's nephew Harry, who in contrast to his uncle, is excited for Christmas and deplores how he is making Cratchit still work at 7pm on Christmas Eve. Scrooge asks him to leave. After work, Bob Cratchit, his disabled son
Tiny Tim and his daughter Kathy go Christmas shopping on the streets of London ("Christmas Children"). Later, Scrooge walks around London, demanding the money that is owed to him by the businesspeople of London, and we learn of Scrooge's negative reputation throughout the people of London, especially soup caterer Tom Jenkins, who leads the angry crowd in despise of Scrooge ("Father Christmas"/"I Hate People").
Scrooge is visited by the ghost of
Jacob Marley
Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...
, his business partner who has been dead for the past seven years, who tells Scrooge to ("Make The Most Of This World") or else the afterlife will be bad for him. He informs Scrooge that he is to be visited by three spirits at 1am, 2am and 3am respectively. Marley also explains the significance of a chain he is wearing - the chain has been built up of sins in life. As Marley leaves, Scrooge is angry at the thought that he is in the wrong for hating Christmas ("It's Not My Fault").
He is visited by the first spirit - the
Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a visit from ...
- who takes Scrooge back to when he was a small boy who preferred not to take part in Christmas activities and carols ("Sing a Christmas Carol (Reprise)"). The child Ebenezer is visited by his sister Jenny, who takes Ebenezer, who is reluctant to go home to his father due to a troubled relationship, back home. Scrooge is confused as to why the visions are not communicating with him, to which the ghost replies that these are shadows of the things that have been. Scrooge is then taken forward to his teenage years, to a party held by his then boss, Mr. Fezziwig ("December the 25th"). Scrooge reminisces of his relationship with Fezziwig's daughter, Isabel ("Happiness"), but we learn that she eventually leaves Scrooge as she feels their love has been negated by his desire for wealth. Scrooge and Young Ebenezer reflect on the situation ("You...You"). The Ghost of Christmas Past reveals to Scrooge that she is the ghost of his sister Jenny, who died young. She tells a heartbroken Scrooge to ("Love While You Can") before leaving him in a state of anguish ("It's Not My Fault (Reprise)").
As the bell tolls 2, Scrooge is visited by the next ghost, the
Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a visit ...
. He tells Scrooge that he is part of a group of brothers who, each year, send one down to Earth to spread the joy of Christmas - and this year is his turn. He is appalled by Scrooge and teaches him to find the joy in living ("I Like Life").
Act Two
Scrooge is taken by the Ghost of Christmas Present to Bob Cratchit and his family, who are preparing for Christmas ("Good Times") and listening to Tiny Tim sing ("The Beautiful Day"), while Scrooge wonders if the ill Tiny Tim will survive. Scrooge is then taken to his nephew Harry's Christmas party, where he learns that a tradition at the party has become to drink to the health of Scrooge, as well as playing a singing game called ("The Minister's Cat"). Because the song was often sung at Fezziwig's parties, Scrooge is again reminded of his failed relationship with Isabel ("Happiness (Reprise)"). As the Ghost of Christmas Present leaves, Scrooge wonders if he can truly find ("A Better Life") to live.
Finally, Scrooge is visited by the mute
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a vis ...
, who silently communicates via pointing in the direction he wants Scrooge to travel. First, they visit Tom Jenkins and a chorus of people who owed Scrooge money, who are all singing about an unusually generous thing that Scrooge has done that has made them all thankful to him. Unbeknown to Scrooge, they are actually celebrating his death, yet Scrooge is oblivious ("Thank You Very Much"). The uplifted Scrooge is now taken to the Cratchit household, which is sitting in silence, with the absence of Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim. The ghost takes Scrooge to a graveyard, where Bob is mourning the death of Tiny Tim and reciting the song he sung the Christmas before ("The Beautiful Day (Reprise)"). It is then revealed that Scrooge is buried in the same graveyard, and Scrooge realises his own imminent demise with shock. He is visited again by Jacob Marley, who reveals that Scrooge has gone to Hell, and Lucifier has appointed Scrooge as his personal assistant, before revealing Scrooge's chain, that was so big that it was not immediately ready for his arrival to Hell. Scrooge is mortified as he is dragged away by demons.
To his shock, Scrooge wakes up in his bedroom on Christmas Day - still alive and not in Hell. He is grateful and vows to change his ways in the time he has left ("I'll Begin Again"). He begins going around London, forgiving people of their debts and giving out Christmas presents while dressed up as Father Christmas. Everyone in London who was previously against Scrooge is now massively grateful to him for changing his ways ("Finale"). Scrooge reinstates his vow to celebrate Christmas and be kind to people ("I'll Begin Again (Reprise)") before a reprise of Thank You Very Much is sung during the bows ("Curtain Call"/"Thank You Very Much (Reprise)").
Productions
UK and Ireland productions
Original Producer, Graham Mulvein and Leslie Bricusse spent several months with the director Bob Tomson adapting the screenplay for the stage. Mulvein recommended appointing Musical Supervisor, Stuart Pedlar, designer, Paul Farnsworth, and Lighting Designer, Hugh Vanstone, to the team and established a Victorian theatre style for all the locations, illusions and characters. Initially the ghost illusions were entrusted to
Paul Daniels
Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series ''The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', which ...
, but he was replaced after the first production with
Paul Kieve
Paul Kieve (born 1967) is an English professional illusionist and whose consulting work for both stage and screen has contributed to changing how magical special effects in productions are approached. He is the only illusionist ever to have w ...
.
The original production starred
Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leading ...
as Scrooge and opened on 9 November 1992 at the
Alexandra Theatre in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
.
The cast also included
Stratford Johns
Alan Edgar Stratford Johns (22 September 1925 – 29 January 2002), known as Stratford Johns, was a British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the long-running ...
,
Tom Watt and
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...
. The production played the following year with the same cast at the
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Theatre Royal, Plymouth, is a theatre venue in Plymouth, Devon. It consists of a 1,300-seat main auditorium, The Lyric, which regularly hosts large-scale musicals, opera and ballet; a 200-seat studio, The Drum; and a 50-seat studio, The Lab. ...
from 30 November to 11 December 1993. The production later transferred to the West End, Tomson having been replaced by director/choreographer
Tudor Davies
Tudor Davies (12 November 18922 April 1958) was a Welsh tenor.
Biography
Tudor Davies was born in Cymmer, near Porth, South Wales, on 12 November 1892. He studied in Cardiff and at the Royal College of Music in London. He served as an engineer ...
, starring Newley, at the Dominion Theatre from 12 November 1996 to 1 February 1997.
Bill Kenwright produced a revival of the original production which toured the UK and Ireland for the Christmas seasons between 2003 and 2013 starring
Tommy Steele
Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.
After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...
in the title role (with the exceptions of
Shane Richie
Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...
in the 2005 and 2007 tours and
Michael Barrymore
Michael Ciaran Parker (born 4 May 1952), known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is an English actor, comedian and television presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s ...
in the 2006 tour. The show was on hiatus for the 2008 Christmas season). The production transferred into the
West End starring Steele for the 2005 (while Richie toured an identical production) and 2012 Christmas seasons at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...
, making Steele the record-holder for the most performances headlined at the Palladium.
A revival was produced at the
Curve Theatre in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
from 18 November 2017 to 14 January 2018, directed by Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster for the musical's 25th anniversary. It starred
Jasper Britton
Jasper Britton (born 11 December 1962) is an English actor.
Early life and education
Britton was born in Chelsea in London, and educated at Belmont Preparatory School, Sussex House School and Mill Hill School, north London. Britton is the onl ...
as Scrooge.
Radio production
On 21 January 1995,
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
broadcast the complete musical live from the
Palace Theatre in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. The production was directed by Tudor Davies, with Anthony Newley as "Scrooge",
Stratford Johns
Alan Edgar Stratford Johns (22 September 1925 – 29 January 2002), known as Stratford Johns, was a British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the long-running ...
as "Ghost of Christmas Present",
Barry Howard
Barry Frederick Howard (9 July 1937 – 28 April 2016) was an English actor. He was best known for his role as Barry Stuart-Hargreaves in the first seven series of the long-running BBC sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!'', in which his deadpan comedy style ...
as "Jacob Marley", Felicity Soper as "Ghost of Christmas Past", Paul Robinson as "Tom Jenkins" and David Howe as "Bob Cratchit".
Australian production
After premiering in Birmingham, Producer, Graham Mulvein co-produced the original UK production in Australia, with Producer, David Mariner, featuring
Keith Michell
Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...
,
Max Gillies
Maxwell Irvine Gillies AM (born 16 November 1941) is an Australian actor and a founding member of the 1970s experimental theatre company, the Australian Performing Group.
Early life and education
Gillies studied art teaching at Frankston Tea ...
, Tony Taylor and William Zappa, ran from November 1993 to January 1994 at the
Princess Theatre in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
.
U.S. productions
The American premiere opened on 26 October 2004 at the
Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre
The James M. Nederlander Theatre is a theater located at 24 West Randolph Street in the Loop area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Previously known as the Oriental Theatre, it opened in 1926 as a deluxe movie palace and vaudeville venue. Today the ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. This production was produced by
Bill Kenwright and starred
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...
in the title role.
It has also been performed by the Spring Lake Theatre Company in Spring Lake, New Jersey, every Christmas season since 1982. Mark E. Fleming originated the production at Spring Lake and has staged the production at the Premier Theatre Co since its founding in 1987. In 2022, the Spring Lake Theatre will present its 40th anniversary production.
Another production of the show has been performed since 1982 by The Players Of Utica, located in Utica, New York. Director Peter Loftus has been the only director for the show during the entire run, which celebrated its 30th year in 2012. The production has become an annual community event during the holidays, in terms of both audiences and casts. The 2012 cast was one of the largest of its 30-year run, with over 250 members. The show regularly does a community performance for local schools and senior programs. Turnout for this annual performance has exceeded 1,500 students from area schools.
Japanese production
In 1994, Mulvein co-produced the Japanese premiere with Himawari Theatre Group of Japan. The production played that year in Tokyo and Kobe.
Characters
; In order of appearance
*
Scrooge
*
Bob Cratchit
Bob Cratchit is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens 1843 novel ''A Christmas Carol''. The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (and possibly Jacob Marley, when he was alive), Cratchit has come to symbolize the poor working condi ...
* Harry
* Bess
* Wine Merchant
* Mrs. Dilber
* Miss Dilber
* Bisset the Butcher
* Punch and Judy Man
* Beggar Woman
* Mr. Pringle
* Tom Jenkins
* Jocelyn Jollygoode
* Hugo Hearty
* Chesnut Seller
*
Jacob Marley
Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...
* Phantoms
*
Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a visit from ...
* School Teacher
*
Mr. Fezziwig
Mr. Fezziwig is a character from the 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'' created by Charles Dickens to provide contrast with Ebenezer Scrooge's attitudes towards business ethics. Scrooge apprenticed under Fezziwig. Despite this, the older Scroog ...
* Young Ebenezer
* Dick Wilkins
* Mrs Fezziwig
* Isabel
*
Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a visit ...
* Mrs. Ethel Cratchit
* Helen
* Topper
* Mary
*
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a vis ...
* Mrs. Pringle
; Children
*
Tiny Tim
* Kathy Cratchit
* Peter Cratchit
* Belinda Cratchit
* Martha Cratchit
* Freddy/Ebby
* Georgina/Jenny
* Henrietta
* Nell/Maid
* Poppy
* Oscar
* Laurie
* Jack
* Isaac
* Maggie
* Kitty
Musical numbers
; Act I
* "Sing a Christmas Carol" – Company
* "M.O.N.E.Y" – Scrooge
* "Christmas Children" – Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Kathy Cratchit and Company
* "Father Christmas" – Tom Jenkins and Company
* "I Hate People" – Scrooge and Company
* "Make the Most of this World" – Jacob Marley and Phantoms
* "It's Not my Fault!" – Scrooge
* "Sing A Christmas Carol" (Reprise) – Scrooge and Children
* "December the Twenty-Fifth" – Fezziwigs and Company
* "Happiness" – Ebenezer, Isabel, Scrooge and Christmas Past
* "You...You" – Scrooge and Young Ebenezer
* "Love While You Can" – Christmas Past
* "It's Not My Fault" (Reprise) – Scrooge
* "I Like Life" – Christmas Present, Scrooge and Company
; Act II
* "The Milk of Human Kindness" – Scrooge and Company
* "Good Times" - Cratchits
* "The Beautiful Day" – Tiny Tim and Cratchits
* "The Minister's Cat" – Company
* "Happiness" (Reprise) – Scrooge
* "A Better Life" – Scrooge
* "Thank You Very Much" – Scrooge, Tom Jenkins and Company
* "The Beautiful Day" (Reprise) – Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit
* "I'll Begin Again" – Scrooge
* "Finale" – Scrooge and Company
* "I'll Begin Again" (Reprise) – Scrooge and Company
* "Curtain Calls" – Company
* "Thank You Very Much" (Reprise) – Company
Cast recordings
The original London cast recording featuring Anthony Newley as Scrooge was released by JAY Productions Ltd on 14 October 1997 and is currently available to purchase on iTunes. A second cast recording of the 2005 London Palladium production with Tommy Steele was also released by Bill Kenwright Records and was available to purchase in the theatre foyers, however it is currently not available to purchase or download.
A BBC recording of the Palace Theatre, Manchester, production, starring Anthony Newley in the title role, with Stratford Johns and Barry Howard, was first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1994, and is occasionally rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
See also
*
Adaptations of ''A Christmas Carol''
References
{{Authority control
1992 musicals
Musicals based on films
Musicals based on A Christmas Carol
West End musicals
British musicals
Musicals based on multiple works
Musicals set in London