Synopsis

The tale begins on a "cold, bleak, biting" Christmas Eve in London, exactly seven years after the death of Scrooge's business partner Jacob Marley. Scrooge, an old miser, is established within the first stave as "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!" He hates Christmas, calling it "humbug"; he refuses his nephew Fred's Christmas dinner invitation, and rudely turns away two gentlemen who seek a donation from him to provide a Christmas dinner for the poor. His only "Christmas gift" is allowing his overworked, underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit Christmas Day off with pay " which he does only to keep with social custom, Scrooge considering it "a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th of December!"

At home that night, Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost, who is forever cursed to wander the earth dragging a network of heavy chains, forged during a lifetime of greed and selfishness. Marley tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, one on each successive evening, and that he must listen to them or be cursed to carry chains of his own that are much longer than Marley's chains. As Marley departs, Scrooge witnesses other restless spirits who now wish they could help their fellow man, but are powerless to do so. Scrooge is then visited by the three spirits Marley spoke of, who accompany him on visits to various Christmas scenes.

The first of the spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of Scrooge's boyhood and youth, which stir the old miser's gentle and tender side by reminding him of a time when he was kinder and more innocent. These scenes portray Scrooge's lonely childhood, his relationship with his beloved sister Fan and a Christmas party hosted by his first employer Mr. Fezziwig who treated Scrooge like a son. They also portray Scrooge's neglected fianc"e Belle who ends their relationship after she realises that Scrooge will never love her as much as he loves money. Then there is a visit later in time to the then-married Belle's large and happy family on Christmas Eve.

The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to several different scenes " a joy-filled market of people buying the makings of Christmas dinner, celebrations of Christmas in a miner's cottage and in a lighthouse. Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present also visit Fred's Christmas party, where Fred speaks of his uncle with pity. A major part of this visit is taken up with Bob Cratchit's family feast, and introduces his youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is full of simple happiness despite being seriously ill. The spirit informs Scrooge that Tiny Tim will soon die unless the course of events changes. Before disappearing, the spirit shows Scrooge two hideous, emaciated children named Ignorance and Want. He tells Scrooge to beware the former above all, and replies to Scrooge's concern for their welfare by repeating Scrooge's own words: "Are there no prisons" Are there no workhouses?"

The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge Christmas Day one year later. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge scenes involving the death of a "wretched man". The man's funeral will only be attended by local businessmen if lunch is provided. His charwoman Mrs. Dilber, his laundress, and the local undertaker steal some of his possessions and sell them to a fence named Old Joe for money. Mrs. Dilber gives Old Joe the bed curtains, the Laundress gives Old Joe the bed sheets, and the undertaker gives Old Joe some button collars. Scrooge also sees a shrouded corpse which he implores the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come not to unmask. When Scrooge asks the ghost to show anyone who feels any emotion over the man's death, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come can only show him an emotion of pleasure, from a poor couple indebted to the man momentarily rejoicing that his death gives them more time to pay off their debt. After Scrooge asks to see some tenderness connected with any death, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows him Bob Cratchit and his family mourning the passing of Tiny Tim. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come then shows Scrooge the man's neglected grave: the tombstone bears Scrooge's name. Sobbing, Scrooge pledges to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that he will change his ways in hopes that he may "sponge the writing from this stone?.

Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning with joy and love in his heart. He spends the day with Fred's family and anonymously sends a prize turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner. He gives Cratchit a raise and becomes like "a second father" to Tiny Tim. A changed man, Scrooge now treats everyone with kindness, generosity, and compassion; he now embodies the spirit of Christmas.

((And there you have it! Here's where you can post, my lovelies - respect the setting and have fun with it!))

Annabeth smiled as Josh passed her in the wings, and gave him a thumbs up. She swallowed the last of the nerves as she glanced down at her costume. It looked fine. The white fabric pooling at her feet was the only thing that worried her. She'd tripped at least three times in dress rehearsal. They'd hemmed it up a bit, and she could feel the difference, but she knew how clumsy she could be, and always at the worst possible time.

She took a breath as her cue was given and picking up her skirt just a touch, she glided forward onto the stage. "Scrooge. Ebenezer Scrooge."

She made it to her mark without a misstep, and relaxed into the part. She was the Ghost of Christmas Past, and she was determined to shed light on Ebenezer's missteps, not worry about her own.

Everything went smoothly or at least it felt that way to her. No lines were dropped, no cues missed, the audience was captivated. Kruger was doing an excellent job, and she was delighted to be sharing the stage with him.

The scene finished and all that was left was to exit and prepare to enter again when the scenery change was done. She moved off toward left just as she was supposed to, leading Ebenezer.

Then just as she passed the curtains and was beyond being seen by almost everyone, her skirt caught her shoe and she found herself falling face first toward the backstage floor.

((If anyone wants to respond to this please do. If not, Annabeth just picked herself up, dusted off her costume and went on as if she meant to do it.))

ad libitim

Annabeth had gone down, a few grips....or were they key grips" If they were key grips, whose keys did they hold" Nevermind....tried to get out of the way, others tried to catch her. Back stage a metal chair clanged and clattered as someone knocked it over. He couldn't be sure if it was one moving to get her or Annabeth herself. Kruger shook his head clearing the strange thoughts that had taken hold. His first instinct had been to run and try to catch her himself. She was much to far away for that and the show must go on even if they all did break a leg, right'

"Jacob....your chains so long it tripped up The Ghost of Christmas past!" An ad lib' He'd never done one before, at least not here. Other venues he changed things up all the time, but until now he'd been doing his best to stick to the script. This time the most difficult part for him to overcome about the part was his instinct to grin. He'd nearly done so at least fifteen times when Annabeth had been playing with him. Each time he felt the corners of his mouth begin to rise, Kruger would forcibly purse his lips giving. He wondered if he resembled a toothless man, wondered even more if that enhanced the character since he was supposed to be an old man and crotchety to boot.

His attention was split, he wanted to make sure that the girl was all right, so there were times that he wasn't looking exactly the direction he needed to. Worse than that was that the first ad lib had spawned more. When The Ghost of Christmas Present called out "Come forward, and know me better man!" Kruger's brain clicked into automatic. He responded....not quite quietly enough...."If I could find that chain of Jacob's I'd trip you too." There were laughs from the audience. Kruger's eyes went as wide as saucers, and he wanted to slap his hand over his mouth to stop the impromptu words from coming out. That would only have made things worse though. Scrooge would never do that to anything he said. Kruger just had to go with it as though it were in the lines all along, but in the back of his mind he knew Mataya was going to kill him as dead as the ghost of Christmas future. He couldn't stop himself, little things would set off another smart mouthed remark. It was like when he was fighting and nothing his opponent did could get him to stop saying lyrics.

He didn't manage to get it under control until it came to the scene with the tombstone. Kruger only managed to portray dread so well because that was exactly what he felt. Dread and a little panic, he swept the audience wondering if by some chance that Mataya had missed the show tonight. There was applause, but there was always applause. Kruger was barely able to step back out for the curtain call. He managed to pull out that Epic Grin, falling into Anvil mode for at least the end of the night.

Josh had been surprised when he'd been cast in the play. Up to now, he'd only taken part in musical theater productions, so this was a special treat for him and for Dru, but the part he'd been cast in puzzled him a little.

He thought he might have made a good Fred or maybe a younger Scrooge, but it wasn't his place to question the casting - only to have fun with the part. And so, with the help of some stage makeup, a costume, and props, a handsome young man was transformed into the frightfully pathetic ghost of Jacob Marley.

Josh returned Annabeth's smile, spooky as he looked, as she passed him in the wings once he'd delivered his lines, then swapped a cringe with Maggie as the two of them watched her trip over her dress. Ah, well ....Opening night was never without a hitch or two, but that was part of the fun and excitement of live theater.

It was only when Kruger deviated from the script to ad-lib a line that Josh couldn't help but call back from the wings in a ghostly voice, "Beware that your chain does not grow as long as mine, Ebbbbeeenneeezer!"

Grinning in amusement, he tossed a wink at Maggie and whispered, "Break a leg, kid!" before joining Dru, as she awaited her turn on stage.