Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" Stage Play Script &Score
by
Tony Palermo
Every Christmas, people across the world license my "Carol" script and
music and sound effects cues for productions ranging from broadcasts to regional theaters, schools and
even private parties. There have been hundreds of performances of this script
since 1997. Here is
information about the play, the cast, music and sound effects. The script is
delivered as PDF file via e-mail. Music and sound effects can be downloaded as
MP3 files or shipped as audio CDs.
Contact me at
and tell me about your intended production. Performance rights vary according
to the venue and length of the run. I accept credit cards via the free and
secure www.Paypal.com service. You can
have the script, music and sound effects in your hands within hours.
ALSO: If the stage version is beyond your production
capabilities, see the webpage about my
Radio-drama version of "A Christmas Carol". The
radio drama version is much simpler to produce since it doesn't require sets,
costumes or memorization, but it still pleases theatre audiences who get a big
kick out of seeing the sound effects artists create the sound of doors, wind,
howling phantoms, thunder, etc.
A Christmas Carol
is Tony Palermo's very faithful adaptation of Charles
Dickens’ classic story of Christmas, memory, and
redemption. The dialogue is verbatim Dickens. This adaptation has been performed
by professional theaters, community theatre troupes, colleges, high schools and
elementary students around the world.
Here's a downloadable MP3 clip of the famous "Marley's Ghost" scene from my
radio adaptation, employing voices, music and sound
effects:
MP3 - A Christmas Carol - Scrooge & Marley excerpt (2.2 MB)
Here's a downloadable excerpt of several scenes from the stage play script:
SCRIPT SAMPLE - STAGE VERSION - Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol -
TRUNCATED.pdf
(243
KB)
You can view/print the
excerpt, which is in the PDF format, via the free Adobe Acrobat reader program,
which works for PCs and Macs.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html
Tony's Extensive Notes On
How to Produce 'A Christmas Carol' for the stage.
Valuable information about how I've approached this adaptation and suggestions
for how you handle your production.
CAST SIZE: Rarely are more than 7 people on stage at any
moment, so doubling is suggested.
Without any doubling, the cast requires: 12 males, 6 females, 9 males or
females, 7 boys, 4 girls and 2 boys or girls.
EBENEZER SCROOGE Miserly old man (male)
THE NARRATOR Charles Dickens (male)
MARLEY’S GHOST Spirit of Scrooge’s partner (male)
SECOND SPIRIT Ghost Of Christmas Present- Jovial
spirit (male or female)
FIRST SPIRIT Ghost Of Christmas Past -
Old/Young Spirit (male or female)
NEPHEW FRED
Scrooge’s kind nephew (male)
BELLE
Scrooge’s young fiancée (female)
BOB CRATCHIT Scrooge’s meek clerk (male)
MRS.
CRATCHIT Bob’s kind/feisty wife (female)
POOLE
Charity Seeker (male)
LAMB Charity
Seeker (male or female)
FAN Scrooge’s young sister
(girl)
KATE Nephew Fred’s wife
(female)
TINY TIM CRATCHIT Bob’s crippled young son (boy)
PETER CRATCHIT Bob’s 12 year-old son (boy)
MARTHA CRATCHIT Bob’s 15 year-old daughter (girl)
BELINDA CRATCHIT Bob’s 9 year-old daughter (girl)
GUESTS #1, #2, #3 (3) of Fred party guests (male or
females)
OLD JOE
Rag and bottle shop owner (male or female)
CHARWOMAN Coarse cleaning lady (female)
MRS.
DILBER Lower class laundress (female)
BUCK Street urchin (boy)
BUSINESSMAN #1, #2, #3 (3) Greedy businessmen
(male)
BOY
CAROLER Poor street caroler (boy)
FREDERICK CRATCHIT Bob’s 8 year-old son
(boy)--one line of dialogue
HARRIET CRATCHIT Bob’s 7 year-old daughter (girl)--one line
of dialogue
CAROLERS (2) other carolers (boys or
girls)
DOORSTEP WOMAN non-speaking part (female)
9-year old SCROOGE non-speaking part (boy)
16-year old SCROOGE non-speaking part (male)
YOUNG SCROOGE (Age 22) non-speaking part (male)
FIDDLER non-speaking part (male or
female)
CONCERTINA PLAYER non-speaking part (male or female)
IGNORANCE non-speaking part (boy)
WANT non-speaking part (girl)
UNDERTAKER’S
MAN non-speaking part (male)
Also: Crowds of passersby, moaning phantoms, party
goers, Fezziwig's party dancers
MUSIC:
Twenty-two pre-recorded, orchestral music cues serve for scene
changes and to dramatically underscore the dialogue at various points. This is
NOT a Broadway style musical, with a singing Scrooge or Tiny Tim. The music cues
I provide function the way film scores do--to support and color the drama.
The instrumentation is strictly Victorian: brass choir, pipe and reed organs,
hand bells, church bells, chimes, cymbals, timpani, fiddle, concertina,
music-box, wine glasses (glass harmonica), choirs and strings. This musical
underscore adds greatly to the production.
The 36 minutes of music cues are available on CD or as downloadable MP3 files.
1) Holiday Playhouse theme (under narration)
2) Boy Carolers singing—then cut-off
3) Foggy Night
4) Marley’s Woe
5) The Phantoms
6) Spirit #1 Arrives
7) Christmas Past
8) Fezziwig’s Ball
9) Belle’s Music Box
10) Return to Bed
11) Spirit #2 arrives
12) Christmas Present/Cratchit Home #1
13) Christmas Montage
14) Spirit #3 Arrives
15) Cratchit Home #2
16) Graveyard Sequence
17) Church Bell Cacophony
18) Christmas Day in London
19) Nephew Fred’s Party
20) “Uncle Scrooge!” Toast
21) God Bless Us
22) Outro – Curtain call
SOUND EFFECTS:
These can be all manually produced by an off-stage team of sound effects
artists working as an ensemble--or via my professionally
recorded SFX--available as a CD or as downloadable MP3 files.
WIND
(Gentle, Wintry, Hellish)
CASHBOXES, KEYS, LEDGERS, CHAINS
DOORS BEING DOUBLE-LOCKED
CYMBAL FLOURISHES AND WIND CHIMES
HORSE-DRIVEN COACH FULL OF BOYS
CLOCK CHIMES (strikes 1X, 7X, 9X)
OTHERWORLDLY
SCREECH OF SPIRIT #3 IN REPLY TO SCROOGE'S DIALOGUE
SEVERAL BELLS RINGING CRAZILY--TO ANNOUNCE MARLEY'S GHOST
THUNDER
CRASHES AND THE OFF-STAGE APPROACH OF MARLEY'S GHOST
CRASHES OF BLIND MAN'S BUFF AT NEPHEW FRED'S PARTY
JINGLING BELLS
CHAINS RATTLING AND MOANS OF THE PHANTOMS
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