A Christmas Carol
By John Jakes. Based on the novel by Charles Dickens.
Product Code: CA4000
Full-length Play
Drama
Cast size: 11m., 6w., 4 boys, 2 girls (expandable).
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
This A Christmas Carol goes beyond other adaptations with a unique dramatic concept: At the opening curtain, Charles Dickens himself is introduced to the audience, ready to present one of the famed platform readings of his stories that packed auditoriums in Europe and America. Of course, the story chosen is one which he often performed, A Christmas Carol (Dickens' marked-up script still exists!). The story unfolds behind him, and soon Dickens is weaving in and out of the action, observing, performing small roles, interpolating short passages of rich narrative never heard in other versions. He handles props and helps Scrooge and others with costume changes. Originally conceived for Mr. Jakes' home stage, the Hilton Head Playhouse, the play is supremely flexible in cast and design. The piece includes "God Bless Us Every One,"* a lovely new carol by Jakes and Tony-nominated composer Mel Marvin, as well as suggestions for placement of incidental music. Jim Volz, former managing director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where the play received its professional premiere, says of it: "In John Jakes' hands, A Christmas Carol recaptures the magic and mystique of the Dickens original. It is a brilliant script."
Notes
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code CA4000
- Minimum Cast Size 23
- Pages of Dialogue 79
- Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 90 min
- Staging Unit set.
Categories
- Target Audience Young Audiences | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages) | Senior Adults
- Performing Group High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre | Dinner Theatre
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871298133
Customer Reviews
The play was most empowering.
Well written with good directorial advice and directions.
It was performed by 21 music theatre students in conjunction with a stage design class and a fashion class. The crowds were great and compliments were abundant. I was so proud of the beautiful show that was produced.
Becoming a yearly traditionÑto see and to be in. A family-friendly holiday production that leaves our audiences crying and laughing. Can be as simple or as elaborate as you can make it.
Excellent version of A Christmas Carol. The script flows well, and making Dickens a character in the play works very well. The play does a good job of pulling the emotional strings of the audience. The funny parts are very funny and the serious parts are very serious. A great play if you want your audience to laugh, cry and be frightened in a two-hour performance. I highly recommend it!
Mr. Jakes has woven a nice, tight version of A Christmas Carol that brings together many of the scenes from the book. The play flows more like a series of montages than a storyÑalmost like the flickering of a dream.
A big play with lots of sets and costumes. Very colorful and enjoyed by all ages. Plenty of roles for men but we used girls as Ghosts 1 and 2. The cast and audience enjoyed the costumes and the timeless story of redemption.
Jakes' A Christmas Carol was a huge success for us at Swamp Meadow. People enjoyed Dickens' participation in the play and the deeper insight into how Ebenezer became Scrooge. It was fun to produce and wonderfully received.
It is a brilliant script.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
Mood is everything! We decorated the foyer, the gymnasium, had music playing as people enteredÑit really adds to the professionalism of the show.
For the Door Knocker scene, we used a concrete mold of a lion's face that we obtained from eBay. It was the same size as a human face. We painted the face gold and made an 8 x 12 hinged opening in the door with the lion's face attached. We covered the opening with pantyhose and, at the proper moment, Marley would open the small door and replace the lion's face with his own. The pantyhose made him look more ghostly.
The scenes flow very quickly from one to the next. Care needs to be taken that set changes can be very fast, indeed. There are at least 12 scene changes in this 90-minute show, or a change every nine minutes or so. I suggest minimalism and wheels.
Using tech options of lighting, sound effects, drop box, flying candles, bells, bedcovers, fog machine does a lot to enhance the production.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin City Players | St Joseph | MI | 12/05/2025 | 12/21/2025 |
Downloads
| File Description | File Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Poster | Download |
Poster Suggestions
- Each poster includes a text box which allows you to customize it with your production information. Once a poster has been opened, position your mouse over the lower third portion until you see a label with instructions on entering your production information. Use the Text Select Tool to customize your poster.
- You can print the poster in its original format and hand write your information.
- Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).
Gallery
A Christmas Carol (Jakes) - Prescott High School, Prescott, AZ
A Christmas Carol - The Player's Studio - McAllen, TX
Also By These Authors
Christine Crocker, AMSA Charter School, Marlborough, Mass.