The King’s Theatre at King William’s College is to present an award-winning adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic festive tale: A Christmas Carol - As told by Jacob Marley (deceased).

The one-man play, which tells the story from the perspective of Scrooge’s deceased business partner, was adapted by James Hyland who also plays Scrooge and other characters in the production.

It was first performed on the Isle of Man five years ago, at the Studio Theatre at Ballakermeen School, and it was reviewed then by this newspaper as a ’forcefully compelling masterpiece’.

As the play begins, Jacob Marley is dead and condemned to an eternity of carrying a heavy chain, forged in life; a life to which he can no longer return except to recount the tale of his miserly business partner, Ebenezer Scrooge, and the path that leads to his redemption. Through Marley’s words, we learn how three magical spirits opened Scrooge’s eyes and made him realise the true value of love and forgiveness.

The orginal A Christmas Carol was a novella written in 1843 by Charles Dickens. It was the subject of Dickens’ first public reading, given in Birmingham Town Hall to the Industrial and Literary Institute on December 27 1852, and, since then, it has been dramatised and adapted countless times for virtually every medium and performance genre.

Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost (1901), a short British film, is the earliest surviving screen adaptation.

The most critically acclaimed version was the 1951 film, ’Scrooge’, starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge and Mervyn Johns and Hermione Baddeley as the Cratchits.

Another popular version was Scrooge (1970), a musical film adaptation starring Albert Finney as Scrooge and Alec Guinness as Marley’s Ghost. But even Walt Disney has produced a version of the classic tale: Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983), an animated film, featured Scrooge McDuck playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Goofy as Jacob Marley and Donald Duck as Fred.

Then there was the Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, a musical film featuring various Muppet characters, with Michael Caine as Scrooge and Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit.

There have been TV versions too, including Blackadder and Doctor Who and it has even been performed in Klingon.

There have also been countless productions for theatre and radio of a tale which seems to adapt to anything from a very simple retelling to a major production, with the visits from the ghosts offering endless scope for different interpretations and imaginative special effects.

A Christmas Carol - As told by Jacob Marley (deceased), with music by Chris Warner, is a Brother Wolf presentation. It is at the King’s Theatre at King William ’s College on Saturday December 9 at 8pm.

Tickets £15 plus booking fee ( concessions available) from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/FIDIGIM.

by Julie Blackburn

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