ABOUT THE PLAY
The initial setting is London in the early 1860s, roughly 20 years after Dickens wrote his story. As the story unfolds and the Narrator takes us back in time, settings include a London street, Scrooge's chambers and counting house, and locations which appear in Scrooge's dream. Fantastic images of clocks are everywhere. Three are quite large, and figure prominently at the beginning and end of each stave.
Scrooge's magnificent transformation comes about as a result of three spirits who visit him in his dream. In the first street scene, which takes place in London on December 24, 1843, we meet all of the dream characters as their mortal counterparts. For example, Mrs. Cratchit, symbol of memory, home, motherhood and love, will become the Spirit of Christmas Past in Stave II. Gentleman 1, a philanthropist collecting money for the poor, will become the Spirit of Christmas Present, symbol of generosity and abundance in Stave III. In his Stave IV nightmare, Scrooge sees the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come personified as his younger self at the pivotal point in his life, when he rejected his only love, Belle.
The initial setting is London in the early 1860s, roughly 20 years after Dickens wrote his story. As the story unfolds and the Narrator takes us back in time, settings include a London street, Scrooge's chambers and counting house, and locations which appear in Scrooge's dream. Fantastic images of clocks are everywhere. Three are quite large, and figure prominently at the beginning and end of each stave.
Scrooge's magnificent transformation comes about as a result of three spirits who visit him in his dream. In the first street scene, which takes place in London on December 24, 1843, we meet all of the dream characters as their mortal counterparts. For example, Mrs. Cratchit, symbol of memory, home, motherhood and love, will become the Spirit of Christmas Past in Stave II. Gentleman 1, a philanthropist collecting money for the poor, will become the Spirit of Christmas Present, symbol of generosity and abundance in Stave III. In his Stave IV nightmare, Scrooge sees the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come personified as his younger self at the pivotal point in his life, when he rejected his only love, Belle.
SCENES & MUSICAL NUMBERS
PROLOGUE
A theater, 1860's
"The Welcome Wassail" – Narrator, Company and Orchestra
STAVE ONE: MARLEY'S GHOST-Christmas Eve, 1843.
Scene 1-A London street; later, Scrooge's Counting House
"Patapan" - The Company
"Apple Tree Wassail" - Orchestra
"The Coventry Shepherd's Carol" - Orchestra
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" - Street Boys, Fred
Scene 2-The Street; Later, Scrooge's Chambers
"The Cold December [El Desembre Congelat]" - Orchestra
STAVE TWO: THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber
"A Dream Within a Dream" - The Ghost of Christmas Past
Scene 2-A Country Road
"Ding, Dong, Merrily On High" - Villagers
Scene 3-A School
Scene 4-The Fezziwig's Warehouse
"Here We Come A-Wassailing" - The Fezziwigs and ensemble.
Scene 5-A London Street
STAVE THREE: THE SECOND OF THE THREE SPIRITS
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber
"Boar’s Head Carol" - The Ghost of Christmas Present and Company
"Patapan" (reprise) - The Company
"The Gloucestershire Wassail" - The Ghost of Christmas Present and Company
THE INTERVAL
Ent' racte
"Boar’s Head Carol" (reprise) - Carolers
Scene 2-The Cratchit Home
"We Saw Three Ships" - Tiny Tim and Mr. Cratchit
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - The Cratchits
"In The Bleak Mid-Winter" - Orchestra
Scene 3-Fred's Home
"Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" - Fred, Meg and Guests
Scene 4-A Wasteland
STAVE FOUR: THE LAST OF THE THREE SPIRITS
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber; Later, A Tavern
"Isn't It Grand Boys?" - Mrs. Dilber, Old Joe and Ensemble
Scene 2 - A London Street
Scene 3-At The Entrance To A Church
Scene 4-The Cratchit Home
"The Little Child" - Mrs. Cratchit, Narrator
Scene 5-A Churchyard
STAVE FIVE: CHRISTMAS DAY, 1843
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber; Later, The Street
"Past Three O'Clock" - Carolers
Scene 2-The Street Outside Scrooge's Chambers
"Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming/Begone, Dull Care" - Orchestra
"Simple Gifts" - Orchestra
Scene 3-Scrooge's Counting House
EPILOGUE
A Theater, 1860's
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - The Company
PROLOGUE
A theater, 1860's
"The Welcome Wassail" – Narrator, Company and Orchestra
STAVE ONE: MARLEY'S GHOST-Christmas Eve, 1843.
Scene 1-A London street; later, Scrooge's Counting House
"Patapan" - The Company
"Apple Tree Wassail" - Orchestra
"The Coventry Shepherd's Carol" - Orchestra
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" - Street Boys, Fred
Scene 2-The Street; Later, Scrooge's Chambers
"The Cold December [El Desembre Congelat]" - Orchestra
STAVE TWO: THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber
"A Dream Within a Dream" - The Ghost of Christmas Past
Scene 2-A Country Road
"Ding, Dong, Merrily On High" - Villagers
Scene 3-A School
Scene 4-The Fezziwig's Warehouse
"Here We Come A-Wassailing" - The Fezziwigs and ensemble.
Scene 5-A London Street
STAVE THREE: THE SECOND OF THE THREE SPIRITS
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber
"Boar’s Head Carol" - The Ghost of Christmas Present and Company
"Patapan" (reprise) - The Company
"The Gloucestershire Wassail" - The Ghost of Christmas Present and Company
THE INTERVAL
Ent' racte
"Boar’s Head Carol" (reprise) - Carolers
Scene 2-The Cratchit Home
"We Saw Three Ships" - Tiny Tim and Mr. Cratchit
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - The Cratchits
"In The Bleak Mid-Winter" - Orchestra
Scene 3-Fred's Home
"Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" - Fred, Meg and Guests
Scene 4-A Wasteland
STAVE FOUR: THE LAST OF THE THREE SPIRITS
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber; Later, A Tavern
"Isn't It Grand Boys?" - Mrs. Dilber, Old Joe and Ensemble
Scene 2 - A London Street
Scene 3-At The Entrance To A Church
Scene 4-The Cratchit Home
"The Little Child" - Mrs. Cratchit, Narrator
Scene 5-A Churchyard
STAVE FIVE: CHRISTMAS DAY, 1843
Scene 1-Scrooge's Bedchamber; Later, The Street
"Past Three O'Clock" - Carolers
Scene 2-The Street Outside Scrooge's Chambers
"Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming/Begone, Dull Care" - Orchestra
"Simple Gifts" - Orchestra
Scene 3-Scrooge's Counting House
EPILOGUE
A Theater, 1860's
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - The Company
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Throughout the play, instrumental arrangements of carols and original music underscore all scenic transitions, and several scenes with dialogue, much like a film's sound track. Additionally, original music and thematic underscoring have been composed for certain scenes or specific characters.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas. English traditional. The remnant of a closure much used by wassailers and other luck visitors, still in common use by modern doorstep carolers.
Patapan. Lyrics by La Monnoye. A traditional Burgundian carol, dating from the Renaissance.
The Coventry Shepherds' Carol. This carol refers to the Holy Innocents, whose feast day is December 28, observed in commemoration of the slaughter of male infants in Bethlehem during Herod the Great's attempt to kill the infant Jesus. Original tune.
Apple Tree Wassail. Based on a Somerset carol, this wassail reflects the early origins of the carol, and involves taking hands and dancing in a ring to bring good luck.
The Coventry Shepherds' Carol. This carol is from "The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors," originally published in 1591, and refers to the Holy Innocents, whose feast day is December 28 (i.e., during the Twelve Days of Christmas), observed in commemoration of the slaughter of male infants in Bethlehem during Herod the Great's attempt to kill the infant Jesus. Original tune.
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. West Country traditional. Lyrics for the text used by the Narrator are adapted by Jon Kimbell, the text used when the boys sing is from William Sandys' Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (1833), where it is associated with another tune, said to have been more usual in the West Country.
The Cold December [El Desembre Congelat]. Although specific origins are unknown, this carol comes from Europe sometime in the 16th to 18th centuries. The popular English translations of this title are The Cold December and Cold December's Winds Were Stilled. In this production, we use variants on this melody for two scenes between Scrooge and Mrs. Dilber.
A Dream Within A Dream, The Lullaby of Christmas Past. Lyrics by Jon Kimbell and David James, after by a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. Music by James Woodland.
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High. Thoinot Arbeau (1520-95). Although this may seem to be the most traditional of carols, it is anything but. The tune is set in the Ionian mode (the modern major mode), which at that time still had associations with hedonism and uninhibited enjoyment.
Here We Come A-Wassailing. A well-known Yorkshire melody. There are many variations of this folksong, which is sung by the "waits" as they go caroling from door to door to bring luck for the New Year to their neighbors.
The Boar's Head Carol. A traditional English carol, c. 1500, probably from the West Country near Exeter. This carol has been sung at Queen's College, Oxford, since the 17th century, as the celebrated dish is borne into the dining hall.
The Gloucestershire Wassail. A traditional English carol. The word "wassail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "wes hal," meaning "be hale," a greeting for good health. The wassailers traveled from house to house singing with a wassail cup which their hosts were expected to fill.
I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In. English traditional. The text and melody used here, from Sandys' Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (1833), is one of many variants, of which the earliest is in Forbes' Cantus (1666 edition). They all derive from the Mediterranean odyssey of the supposed relics of the three magi, the ‘Three Kings of Cologne,' the splendor of whose final voyage has remained vivid in European folk memory.
In the Bleak Mid-Winter. (Instrumental) This poem by Christina Rossetti, with its tune from the English Hymnal, is a special favorite of ours.
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day. Lyrics adapted by Jon Kimbell. This melody is probably based on an 1833 secular song, but the interweaving of the two love motives is as ancient and widespread as the association of religion with the dance. The text goes back earlier than the seventeenth century.
Isn't it Grand, Boys? An old Irish drinking ditty.
The Little Child. Lyrics: Jon Kimbell. Inspired by a traditional Austrian lullaby, Still, Still, Still.
Past Three O'Clock. Traditional. Woodward and Wood published this ripe but well-loved piece of ‘Olde Englishry' in The Cambridge Carol Book (1924), on which they collaborated. Although it looks like a romantic concoction, it has a genuine connection with the music of the London waits, who in the Middle Ages were employed to patrol the town each night, keeping watch and sounding the hours.
Begone Dull Care. (Instrumental) English Traditional. 1890. Richard Loveridge. This carol's origin cannot be traced beyond the reign of James II, but is widely believed to be older. The origin is to be found in an early French chanson.
Simple Gifts. (Instrumental) The melody is that of the well-known Shaker hymn.
Throughout the play, instrumental arrangements of carols and original music underscore all scenic transitions, and several scenes with dialogue, much like a film's sound track. Additionally, original music and thematic underscoring have been composed for certain scenes or specific characters.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas. English traditional. The remnant of a closure much used by wassailers and other luck visitors, still in common use by modern doorstep carolers.
Patapan. Lyrics by La Monnoye. A traditional Burgundian carol, dating from the Renaissance.
The Coventry Shepherds' Carol. This carol refers to the Holy Innocents, whose feast day is December 28, observed in commemoration of the slaughter of male infants in Bethlehem during Herod the Great's attempt to kill the infant Jesus. Original tune.
Apple Tree Wassail. Based on a Somerset carol, this wassail reflects the early origins of the carol, and involves taking hands and dancing in a ring to bring good luck.
The Coventry Shepherds' Carol. This carol is from "The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors," originally published in 1591, and refers to the Holy Innocents, whose feast day is December 28 (i.e., during the Twelve Days of Christmas), observed in commemoration of the slaughter of male infants in Bethlehem during Herod the Great's attempt to kill the infant Jesus. Original tune.
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. West Country traditional. Lyrics for the text used by the Narrator are adapted by Jon Kimbell, the text used when the boys sing is from William Sandys' Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (1833), where it is associated with another tune, said to have been more usual in the West Country.
The Cold December [El Desembre Congelat]. Although specific origins are unknown, this carol comes from Europe sometime in the 16th to 18th centuries. The popular English translations of this title are The Cold December and Cold December's Winds Were Stilled. In this production, we use variants on this melody for two scenes between Scrooge and Mrs. Dilber.
A Dream Within A Dream, The Lullaby of Christmas Past. Lyrics by Jon Kimbell and David James, after by a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. Music by James Woodland.
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High. Thoinot Arbeau (1520-95). Although this may seem to be the most traditional of carols, it is anything but. The tune is set in the Ionian mode (the modern major mode), which at that time still had associations with hedonism and uninhibited enjoyment.
Here We Come A-Wassailing. A well-known Yorkshire melody. There are many variations of this folksong, which is sung by the "waits" as they go caroling from door to door to bring luck for the New Year to their neighbors.
The Boar's Head Carol. A traditional English carol, c. 1500, probably from the West Country near Exeter. This carol has been sung at Queen's College, Oxford, since the 17th century, as the celebrated dish is borne into the dining hall.
The Gloucestershire Wassail. A traditional English carol. The word "wassail" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "wes hal," meaning "be hale," a greeting for good health. The wassailers traveled from house to house singing with a wassail cup which their hosts were expected to fill.
I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In. English traditional. The text and melody used here, from Sandys' Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern (1833), is one of many variants, of which the earliest is in Forbes' Cantus (1666 edition). They all derive from the Mediterranean odyssey of the supposed relics of the three magi, the ‘Three Kings of Cologne,' the splendor of whose final voyage has remained vivid in European folk memory.
In the Bleak Mid-Winter. (Instrumental) This poem by Christina Rossetti, with its tune from the English Hymnal, is a special favorite of ours.
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day. Lyrics adapted by Jon Kimbell. This melody is probably based on an 1833 secular song, but the interweaving of the two love motives is as ancient and widespread as the association of religion with the dance. The text goes back earlier than the seventeenth century.
Isn't it Grand, Boys? An old Irish drinking ditty.
The Little Child. Lyrics: Jon Kimbell. Inspired by a traditional Austrian lullaby, Still, Still, Still.
Past Three O'Clock. Traditional. Woodward and Wood published this ripe but well-loved piece of ‘Olde Englishry' in The Cambridge Carol Book (1924), on which they collaborated. Although it looks like a romantic concoction, it has a genuine connection with the music of the London waits, who in the Middle Ages were employed to patrol the town each night, keeping watch and sounding the hours.
Begone Dull Care. (Instrumental) English Traditional. 1890. Richard Loveridge. This carol's origin cannot be traced beyond the reign of James II, but is widely believed to be older. The origin is to be found in an early French chanson.
Simple Gifts. (Instrumental) The melody is that of the well-known Shaker hymn.
