A theatre group in the north of the island are performing an all-new version one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time.

The Ramsey-based amateur dramatics group Cloideryn are to open this version of the Charles Dickens story ’A Christmas Carol’ at St Paul’s Hall, Market Square, Ramsey, this weekend.

However, as familiar as you may be with the haunting tale, it is quite likely that you will not have seen this new take on the story before.

Cloideryn are to perform the new and little-known musical version of the play, meaning that this play is anew experience both for the audience and the cast.

The task of adapting the musical for Cloideryn fell to musical director Marilyn Cullen, who said that the group have enjoyed the challenge of attempting the new version of the play.

’It sticks to the traditional story of the Charles Dickens story and is still centred around the main characters people will be very familiar with, and it also contains a lot of very nicely written songs,’ said Marilyn.

’However, the tricky thing for us is that, unlike our previous musicals, "Oliver Twist" and "The Sound of Music", where the songs are all so familiar and well known, with the Christmas Carol musical, we have had to learn them all from scratch. We have had to adapt some of the songs to fit our production, but the musical was written with that in mind.

’Those who wrote it made it able to be adapted to fit whatever stage or cast a company had to hand.’

Rhys Yardley plays the personification of Christmas misery, Scrooge.

He made his debut with Cloideryn, starring as Captain Von Trapp in the Sound Of Music, which was the first time he had ever sung on stage.

’We think he did a fabulous job,’ said Marilyn.

’He has several very big songs in this play and he does them very well.’

’A Christmas Carol’ opens tomorrow (Friday) at 7.30pm, with two more performances on Saturday, at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

There will be three more performances next weekend.

Tickets are £8, with £6.50 for children under 12 and other concessions, available from the Ramsey Town Library or by phoning Heather on 437904