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Song Excerpts: (click on the links below to listen)
Book and Lyrics by Lezlie Wade
Music by Tom McPherson and Lezlie Wade
Puppet design by Cathy Elliott
Director's Notes:
This musical version of A Christmas Carol attempts to stay true to the original short story by Charles Dickens by maintaining that it was and always should be a cautionary tale about “...a life half lived”. In an effort to maintain the integrity of Charles Dickens classic ghost story of greed and avarice, this adaptation uses puppets to represent the spirits of Christmas past, present and future and a musical score using instruments of the period to suggest the time in which it was written and overall sensibility of the piece. While the tale can easily withstand the test of time, it is the adaptors intention to use the time period of Victorian England and the last few years of the Industrial Revolution to show contemporary parallels in history.
The play is written for four actors and can be done quite successfully with very few props and only a few set pieces.
Running time:
1 hour 45 minutes without an intermission.
Musical numbers include:
- MARLEY WAS DEAD
- FAMILY TREE
- THE BELL WILL TOLL
- CLEAR THE PAPERS AWAY
- RELEASE
- GOD BLESS US EVERYONE
- WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
- I AM NOT THE MAN I WAS
- THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING
Puppets and Musical tracks can be rented for this production.
Photo Credits (by selection number) All photos from the production done with Smile Theatre, Toronto, Nov. 6 to Dec. 23, 2006: 1. Tyler Murree 2. Eric Craig and Tyler Murree 3. Eric Craig and Tyler Murree 4. Tyler Murree and Amy Connolly 5. Tyler Murree and Eric Craig
