A Christmas Carol (Swartz-Play)
This faithful yet unique adaptation of the Charles Dickens' holiday story begins in "another world" where Tiny Tim appears. More than just an employee's crippled son, he is a symbol of Scrooge's own infirmity. Scrooge's deceased business partner, Marley, is granted permission to return to Earth with a small but powerful army of holiday spirits on his adventure to convert the covetous old sinner into a Yuletide saint. The most popular scenes of the novel are dramatized, but especially powerful is the future scene of Bob Cratchit's gut-wrenching loss of his beloved Tim, as is the moment in reality when Scrooge hugs the boy's small form. The play is fast moving and works well on a unit set with one scene flowing into another. Appropriate carols may be used as transitions between some scenes. About 80 minutes.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
PLAYWRIGHT L. DON SWARTZ TALKS ABOUT
"A Christmas Carol"
Q. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS ADAPTATION?
A. "A Christmas Carol" has always been one of my favorite stories.
Q. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OR LINE IN THE PLAY? WHY?
A. I like the Phantom of the Future scenes. The Phantom is not playing around with Scrooge anymore, and he uses high drama to soften the old miser's heart.
Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES?
A. The characters came from Charles Dickens masterpiece however, many of them needed fleshing-out to make them 3-D for the stage. That was the fun part.
Q. WHAT DID YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS PLAY?
A. I wanted modern audiences to look at an overly familiar story in a new way. To that end I adapted many sections almost never included and filled in the dots on story lines that were left unfinished.
Q. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
A. I have been playing Scrooge since 1985 which has given me a rare insight into his story. I feel in some ways I have lived Scrooge's story, again and again. As an actor it is my favorite and most challenging role.