A Christmas Carol, the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens (1812–1870), is one of the English author's best-known works. It is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy miser who hates Christmas but who is transformed into a caring, kindly person through the visitations of four ghosts (Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future). The classic work has been dramatised and adapted countless times for virtually every medium and performance genre, and new versions appear regularly.
Public readings The novel was the subject of Dickens's first public reading, given in Birmingham Town Hall to the Industrial and Literary Institute on 27 December 1853. This was repeated three days later to an audience of 'working people', and was a great success by his own account and that of newspapers of the time.Slater, Michael (2009). Charles Dickens. New Haven, CT and London: Yale University Press. . p. 353Dickens' Public Readings: The Performer and the Novelist Philip Collins Studies in the Novel, Vol. 1, No. 2, Charles Dickens (summer 1969), pp. 118–132 Over the years, Dickens edited and adapted the piece for a listening, rather than reading, audience. Dickens continued to give public readings of A Christmas Carol until his death.
Public readings of the novel continue to be held today, with some readers performing in character as Dickens. In 1994, a public reading was performed at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City and broadcast on PBS, with James Earl Jones performing the role of Scrooge with Martin Sheen (who played all the other parts) and Robert MacNeil (who acted as commentator at different times).
Performing arts Theatre or stage Direct adaptations An early theatrical production was A Christmas Carol: Or, the Miser's Warning!, a two-act adaptation of A Christmas Carol by C. Z. Barnett, first produced at the Surrey Theatre on 5 February 1844, just weeks after the publication of the novella.Charles Zachary Barnett , Librettists: English Romantic Opera websiteThe Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 31 (Jan 1849), p. 103A Christmas Carol, or, the Miser's Warning!, Project Gutenberg eBook A version by Edward Stirling, A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future, sanctioned by Charles Dickens, opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 26 February 1844, running for more than 40 nights.Standiford, Les. The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits, Crown, New York (2008), p. 168, Throughout the late 19th century and into the early years of the 20th, British actor Seymour Hicks toured England with his own non-musical adaptation of the story, in which he played Scrooge. A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley (1980), a theatrical adaptation by playwright Israel Horovitz, starred Orson Bean as Scrooge and premiered at the Charles Playhouse in Boston. The following year, Gene Rayburn played Scrooge. A Christmas Carol (1981), a musical adaptation with music by Michel Legrand and a book and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick that premiered in 1982 at the Hartman Theatre, Stamford, Connecticut. The show was adapted for a touring production in 1981. A Christmas Carol (1988), Patrick Stewart's one-man reading/acting of the story, made its first appearance in London and later on Broadway. On stage Stewart used a table, chair, stool, lectern and a book with an oversized print cover to enact the entire story. The production has been revived in London and New York several times. It has also been released on compact disc. Scrooge: The Musical (1992), a British stage musical adapted from the 1970 film and starring Anthony Newley. A Christmas Carol (1993–present), a one-man show of the work performed by Gerald Charles Dickens, great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, in which he plays 26 characters. A Christmas Carol: The Musical (1994), a Broadway adaptation with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, ran at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York City yearly until 2003. Starring as "Scrooge" were Walter Charles (1994), Terrence Mann (1995), Tony Randall (1996), Hal Linden and Roddy McDowall (alternating) (1997), Roger Daltrey (1998), Tony Roberts (1999), Frank Langella (2000), Tim Curry (2001), F. Murray Abraham (2002) and Jim Dale (2003). The 2004 television version of the musical starred Kelsey Grammer as "Scrooge". A Christmas Carol (2000–19), an adaptation written by Tom Wood for Citadel Theatre. The play ran seasonally for nineteen years before being replaced with a new version by playwright David van Belle Steve Nallon's Christmas Carol (2003), theatrical adaptation starring impressionist Nallon as a number of famous people performing the roles of Dickens's characters. A Christmas Carol (2008), a stage adaptation by Bryony Lavery with songs by Jason Carr, was written for the Chichester Youth Theatre and performed at Chichester Festival Theatre for Christmas 2008 and 2015. This adaptation was also performed by Birmingham Repertory Theatre for Christmas 2009 (with Peter Polycarpou as Scrooge, Hadley Fraser as Bob Cratchit and Rosalie Craig as Mrs Cratchit) and 2013 and the West Yorkshire Playhouse for Christmas 2010 (with Phillip Whitchurch as Scrooge). A Christmas Carol (2008), an adaptation written and directed by Kevin Von Feldt and staged at The Kodak Theater. The cast included Christopher Lloyd as Scrooge, John Goodman as The Ghost of Christmas Present, Jane Leeves as Mrs. Cratchit, with pre-recorded narration from John Gielgud. A Christmas Carol (2009), an adaptation written and directed by Susie McKenna and featuring original music by Steve Edis. In this adaptation, the story is presented as a play-within-a-play, as told by a miserly uncle and his nephew while locked inside a theatre. The play was performed at Arts Theatre and starred comedian Gareth Hale as Scrooge/Uncle Sidney. A Christmas Carol (2011), a National Theatre of Scotland production adapted, designed and directed by Graham McLaren, premiered at Film City Glasgow. The production was awarded Best Production and Best Ensemble by the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland. A Christmas Carol (2012), a musical adaptation with book and lyrics by Ben Horslen and John Risebero and music by Christopher Peake and Nick Barstow, first performed by Antic Disposition in Middle Temple Hall, London, in December 2012 and revived in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019. A cast recording featuring Brian Blessed as The Ghost of Christmas Present was released in 2019. A Christmas Carol (2015), an adaptation by Patrick Barlow, starring Jim Broadbent as "Scrooge" at Noël Coward Theatre in London. A Christmas Carol (2017), a version by Jack Thorne, directed by Matthew Warchus for The Old Vic. The production has returned to the Old Vic every year since and performed on Broadway (winning 5 Tony Awards) and worldwide. A Christmas Carol (2017), an adaptation by David Edgar for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In this version, the writing of the original novella is used as a frame-narrative as Dickens is urged by his editor John Forster to weave a tale around his outrage about child labour and poverty. The original production premiered with Phil Davis as Scrooge. The production was revived in 2018 with Aden Gillett as Scrooge, and again in 2022 with Adrian Edmondson as Scrooge. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (2018), a one-man adaptation of the story performed by Jefferson Mays at Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles. In 2020, the show was filmed live at New York's United Palace and released for a limited time on streaming site on the Stage. The show premiered at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre in November 2022. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (2018), an adaptation by Nelle Lee for Shake & Stir Theatre Co, Brisbane. The play premiered at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and included Eugene Gilfedder as Scrooge, Lee as Mrs. Cratchit, and Bryan Probets as all four ghosts. Since then, the play has received seasonal revivals. A Christmas Carol (2018–present), an adaptation written by Jim McClure for American Shakespeare Center. The play premiered at the Blackfriars Playhouse for the 2018 Christmas season and has since been revived annually. A Christmas Carol (2020), an adaptation written by Naylah Ahmed for Jermyn Street Theatre. The play was performed online during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and included Jim Findley as Scrooge, Penelope Keith as The Ghost of Christmas Past, and Brian Blessed as The Ghost of Christmas Present.https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/Brian-Blessed-and-Penelope-Keith-Lead-Cast-Of-A-CHRISTMAS-CAROL-at-Jermyn-Street-Theatre-20201028https://www.reviewsgate.co.uk/reviews-archive/a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens-adapted-by-naylah-ahmed-jermyn-street-theatre-guildford-shakespeare-company-on-line-to-sunday-27-december-2020-4-william-russell A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play (2020), a site specific adaptation written by Leora Morris and Ben Coleman and produced by Alliance Theatre. The production was presented as a drive-in performance at Georgia State University's Center Parc Credit Union, with the audience watching the show on big screens from their cars. A Christmas Carol (2020), an adaptation by Nicholas Hytner for Bridge Theatre. The production was performed as a three hander by Simon Russell Beale, Patsy Ferran and Eben Figueiredo, with the actors narrating and acting out Dickens's text. The production was revived in 2022. A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story (2021), an adaptation by Mark Gatiss (who also played Marley), directed by Adam Penford ran at the Nottingham Playhouse and then Alexandra Palace Theatre for Christmas 2021 season A Christmas Carol (2022), a stage adaptation written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm with songs by Eamonn O'Dwyer, was performed at Rose Theatre Kingston with Penny Layden as a gender-swapped Ebenezer Scrooge. A Christmas Carol (2022), an adaptation by Hilary Bell for Ensemble Theatre, Sydney. The original cast included Bell's father John Bell as Scrooge. A Christmas Carol – A Radio Play Live on Stage (2023), an adaptation by Martin Parsons for The Crime and Comedy Theatre Company. The cast included Colin Baker as Scrooge and Peter Purves as Charles Dickens, with Tom Baker joining the cast as Jacob Marley in 2024 in a specially filmed appearance. A Christmas Carol (2024), an adaptation by Mike Kenny for Derby Theatre.
Derivative Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge (2002) is a musical parody of the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol. Written by Christopher Durang, the play was initially commissioned by City Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when Durang was asked by Artistic Director Tracy Brigden to write a Christmas comedy. It premiered on 7 November 2002 at the City Theatre, with Kristine Nielsen in the title role. This parody was revived in 2012 with additional performances in 2013Christopher Durang (2007). Miss Witherspoon and Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge: Two Plays. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. pp. x, 70. . A Klingon Christmas Carol (written ) is an adaptation set on the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS in the Star Trek fictional universe. The play was co-written and directed by Christopher O. Kidder and was performed from 2007– by Commedia Beauregard, (a Saint Paul, Minnesota theatre company), and also presented in Chicago for 2010. An American Country Christmas Carol (2010), a musical adaptation with book and lyrics by Scott Logsdon and music by Rand Bishop, Kent Blazy, Roxie Dean, Tim Finn, Billy Kirsch, J. Fred Knobloch, and Pam Rose. It was presented as a staged reading at the Boiler Room Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee, on 5, 6, and 13 December 2010. A Christmas Carol (2013–present) an annual production written by Kevin Moriarty for Dallas Theater Center. In this adaptation, Scrooge is changed from a money lender in London's business district to the owner of a factory in the industrialised Midlands.