A Christmas Carol (1995 musical): Difference between revisions
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{{otheruses|A Christmas Carol (disambiguation)}} |
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'''''A Christmas Carol''''' is a [[Musical theater|musical]] with songs written by [[Alan Menken]] (music) and [[Lynn Ahrens]] (lyrics). The musical is based on [[Charles Dickens]]' famous [[A Christmas Carol|1843 novella]] of the same name, presented by Madison Square Garden. It was directed by Mike Ochrent with choreography by Susan Stroman. |
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==1995 Recording Cast== |
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*Punch and Judy Man, Marley, as a young man, Undertaker - [[Christopher Sieber]] |
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*Punch and Judy Woman - Donna Lee Marshall |
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*Organ Grinder - Robert Ousley |
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*Grave Digger - Bill Nolte |
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*Mr. Smythe - Joseph Kolinski |
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*Jack Smythe - Andy Jobe |
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*Grace Smythe - Lindsay Jobe |
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*Scrooge - Walter Charles |
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*Cratchit - Nick Corley |
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*Charity Men - Robert Ousley, Martin Van Treuren, Walter Willison |
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*Old Joe, Mr. Hawkins - Ken McMullen |
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*Match Girl - Arlene Pierret |
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*Street Urchins and Children - Matthew F. Byrne, Jacy De Filippo, Justin Bartholemew Kamen, Olivia Oguma, Christopher Mark Petrizzo, P.J. Smith |
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*Sandwich Board Man, Ghost of Christmas Present - Michael Mandell |
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*Fred - [[Robert Westenberg]] |
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*Jonathan - Jason Fuchs |
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*Lamplighter, Ghost of Christmas Past - Ken Jennings |
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*Blind Hag, Scrooge's Mother - Andrea Frierson Toney |
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*Mrs. Mops - Darcy Pulliam |
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*Ghost of Jacob Marley - Jeff Keller |
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*Judge - Michael H. Ingram |
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*Scrooge at 8 - David Gallagher |
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*Fan at 6 - Mary Elizabeth Albano |
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*Scrooge's Father, undertaker - Michael X. Martin |
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*Scrooge at 12 - Ramzi Khalaf |
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*Fan at 10 - Jacy De Filippo or Olivia Oguma |
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*Fezziwig - Gerry Vichi |
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*Scrooge at 18 - Michael Christopher Moore |
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*Mrs. Fezziwig - Mary Stout |
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*Emily - [[Emily Skinner]] |
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*Tiny Tim - Matthew Mezzacappa |
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*Mrs. Cratchit - Joy Hermalyn |
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*The Cratchit Children - Mary Elizabeth Albano, Betsy Chang, David Gallagher, Sean Thomas Morrissey |
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*Sally, Fred's Wife - Natalie Toro |
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*Ensemble - Joan Barber, Leslie Ball, Renee Bergeron, Christophe Caballero, Candy Cook, Madeleine Doherty, Mark Dovey, Donna Dunmire, Melissa Haizlip, Michael Howard-Jones, Mark S. Hoebee, Don Johanson, Eric H. Kaufman, John-Charles, Kelly, David Lowenstein, Seth Malkin, Carol Lee Meadows, Karen Murphy, Tom Pardoe, Gail Pennington, Angela Piccinni, Josef Reiter, Pamela Remler, Sam Reni, Eric Riley, Rommy Sandhu, Erin Stoddard Tracy Terstriep, Cynthia Thole, Matthew J. Vargo, Billy Vitelli, Theara J. Ward, Whitney Webster |
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*Angels - Blessed Sacrament Chorus of Staten Island, PS 26 Chorus, Righteousness Unlimted, William F. Halloran Vocal Ensemble-School 22 |
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==Synopsis== |
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The opening numbers are "The Years Are Passing By" and "Jolly, Rich, and Fat". In later productions the two numbers are combined as "Jolly Good Time." In the next number, "Nothing to Do With Me", Scrooge first encounters the three ghosts of Christmas in their real-world guises as a lamplighter (Past), a charity show barker (Present), and a blind beggar woman (sometimes cast as Future). We also see Scrooge's long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit buying a Christmas chicken with his son Tiny Tim in the song "You Mean More to Me". |
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As in other musical adaptations of [[A Christmas Carol]], the visit of the ghost of [[Jacob Marley]] becomes a large-scale production number ("Link By Link"), featuring a half-dozen singing, dancing spirits presented with various levels of makeup and special effects. One of these ghosts in this version is known to be an old colleague of Scrooge and Marley's, Mr. Haynes, who was said to be "mean to the ''bone''," resulting to his charred skeleton. |
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Other ouns include another, headless spirit who wanted to get ''ahead''. |
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The Ghost of Christmas Past is portrayed either as a woman or a man and sings "The Lights of Long Ago", a number reinforcing her signature theme of illuminating Scrooge's worldview. One notable departure from Dickens' novella in this portion of the film is its depiction of Ebenezer Scrooge's father, identified as John William Scrooge, being sentenced to debtor's prison while his horrified family looks on (a scene inspired by events from Dickens' own childhood). |
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The Ghost of Christmas Present gets two numbers, "Abundance and Charity" and "Christmas Together", in which he makes his point that Christmas is a time for celebration, generosity, and fellowship. The former takes place at a fantastical version of the charity show he was seen promoting on Christmas Eve, and the latter whisks Scrooge on a tour of London that includes the homes of his nephew Fred, his clerk Bob Cratchit, and Mr. Smythe, a recently widowed client of Scrooge's lending house. |
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The entire Christmas Future sequence plays out in song ("Dancing On Your Grave", "You Mean More to Me (Reprise)", and "Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today"), culminating in Scrooge's awakening in his bedroom on Christmas morning. |
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"What a Day, What a Sky" serves as a musical bookend to "Nothing to Do With Me", dramatizing Scrooge's new outlook as he races through the streets of London making amends. The film concludes with a reprise of "Christmas Together" featuring virtually the entire cast. |
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== See also == |
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* [[List of A Christmas Carol adaptations]] |
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==References== |
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* {{cite web | title=Official Site of the Stage Musical | url=http://www.thegarden.com/xc_theshow.html}} |
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== External links == |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Carol, A (1994 musical)}} |
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[[Category:A Christmas Carol adaptations]] |
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[[Category:1994 musicals]] |
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[[Category:Original musicals]] |
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