"Marley was dead". Marley was the partner of Scrooge, a mean, bad-tempered merchant who strikes fear and discomfort in the hearts of all he meets; not least his poor clerk, Bob Cratchit, who on Christmas Eve is working late in a freezing cold office for a miserly wage. Reluctantly Scrooge lets him go home to celebrate Christmas with his family, but refuses to accept his Christmas wishes. "Humbug!" he replies. Likewise he turns away carol singers, his nephew Fred, who invites him to dinner, and a gentleman collecting money for the poor. 

Auf den Straßen liegt Weihnachten in der Luft. Doch Scrooge bemerkt nichts von alledem, als er zu seinem großen, trostlosen Haus zurückkehrt. Als er die Tür öffnet, glaubt er im Türklopfer das Gesicht seines toten Partners Marley zu sehen. Humbug, beschließt er - sieht es aber im Kamin wieder. Und um Mitternacht wird er durch den schrecklichen Anblick von Marleys Geist geweckt, der in endlose Eisenketten gehüllt ist. Marley erklärt ihm, dass er gekommen ist, um ihm eine letzte Chance zu geben, sein Verhalten zu ändern und so zu verhindern, dass er zu einer gequälten Seele wird, zu der er für immer verdammt ist. Drei Geister werden Scrooge besuchen: der Geist der vergangenen Weihnacht, der Geist der gegenwärtigen Weihnacht und der Geist der zukünftigen Weihnacht.

In the streets Christmas is in the air. But Scrooge notices none of this as he walks back to his huge and desolate house. As he opens the door he thinks he sees in the door-knocker the face of his dead partner, Marley. Humbug, he decides - but sees it again in the fire-place. And at midnight he is woken by the fearful sight of Marley's ghost, wrapped in endless iron chains. Marley explains that he has come to give him a last chance to change his ways, and so avoid becoming a tortured soul, as he is forever doomed to be. Three ghosts will come to visit Scrooge: the Ghost of Christmas Fast, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

These three ghosts in turn take Scrooge through life: back to his own unhappy childhood when he still had feelings for others; to families and homes celebrating Christmas with love and joy, even the poorest of them like the Cratchits with their crippled son, Tiny Tim; and finally into the future, where he sees a body lying on his bed, hears people discussing his death, is shown his own gravestone and visits a den of thieves where his belongings, even his own clothes, are being sold.

After these shattering revelations, Scrooge realizes how much happiness he has missed in his life and how much unhappiness he has caused. He repents and decides to change his ways - which he does with gusto! He visits his nephew Fred with Christmas greetings, he gives a large sum of money to the poor, he sends the biggest turkey in the town to the Cratchits, and gives Bob a rise in pay - in short he becomes a true - and happy Christian gentleman. 

The play will be performed in English by the American Drama Group Europe.

Duration: 90 Minutes.

Photo: Scene from "A Christmas Carol" ©Grantly Marshall