INT. SCROOGE’S SITTING ROOM - IMMEDIATELY

6. THE NARRATOR: He checked the sitting-room, bedroom, lumber-room--all as

they should be. Nobody under the table, nobody under the sofa. Nobody under the bed, nobody in the closet....Scrooge put on his dressing gown and nightcap, and sat down before the fire. When... suddenly...

NARRATOR steps back to let the scene unfold. He EXITS STAGE RIGHT into the wings on the street set.

4. SCROOGE: (startled) Ahh! What? What is it! Every bell in the house must be ringing! What in the...

5. SOUND: BELLS ALL STOP.

6. SCROOGE: ...world? N-Nonsense. Humbug! It’s all humbug! I had... Wait! What-what’s that?

7. SOUND: SILENCE -- THEN BASH... BASH/BASH! CRASH! CHAINS DRAGGED IN A WALKING RHYTHM. SLOW FOOTSTEPS- -UNDER.

8. MUSIC: [MUS-4] MARLEY’S WOE-UNDER. PLAY THRU.

9. SCROOGE: Someone’s in the cellar! But the doors are locked! Doublelocked!

Something... is coming. Up the stairs! Closer! It’s outside my door! It’s humbug! I won’t believe it! Humbug, I say...

10. MARLEY’S GHOST: (moaning) Scrooge! Ebenezer Scrooge!

11. SOUND: THUNDER-CRACK. RUMBLE.

The hallway door flies open and MARLEY ENTERS, dragging chains, ledgers, cashboxes,

keys, behind him. His head is bandaged--as if for a tooth-ache.

1. SOUND: (REVERB) CASHBOXES. CHAINS RATTLING. MARLEYS

DRAGGING STEPS. STOP SOON.

2. SCROOGE: (scared) Ah! How now! What-what do you want with me?

Who-who are you?

3. MARLEY’S GHOST: In life, I was your partner, Jacob Marley. You don't believe

in me, Scrooge? Why do you doubt your senses?

4. SCROOGE: (fighting fear) A-A disorder of the stomach makes them cheats! Y-You’re not a g-ghost! Humph! Humbug, I tell you! Hum...

MARLEY rattles his chains to punctuate his speech. These can be supplemented with offstage

sound timed to his movements.

5. SOUND: CHAINS RATTLING. THUNDER-CRACK. RUMBLE.

6. MARLEY’S GHOST: (long, terrible wail) Aieeeeeeeeee!

7. SCROOGE: (screams) Ahhhh! (frightened) Mercy! I believe you! I believe you--I must! Oh, dreadful apparition, why do you trouble me? Why do spirits walk the Earth? Why come to

me?

8. MARLEY’S GHOST: In life the spirit of every man should walk among his fellow men and share happiness. And if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death--Doomed to wander the world (wails) Aieeeee!

Three spirits will visit you, Scrooge! They will show you your past, your present and your future! Wait!

SCENE 9

FIRST SPIRIT: Scrooge! I am the Spirit of Christmas past! Follow me!

INT. FEZZIWIG’SWAREHOUSE - NIGHT

MR. FEZZIWIG stands, giving orders. YOUNG SCROOGE is putting up his ledger books.

DANCERS rush in and begin laughing and milling about. A FIDDLER prepares to play.

3. SCROOGE: Fezziwig’s warehouse! I apprenticed here! Why, it's old

Fezziwig! Bless his heart! It's Fezziwig--alive again! ...at one of his Christmas parties!

4. FEZZIWIG: Yo ho, there! Ebenezer! No more work to-night. Christmas

Eve! (laughs) Ha Ha! Join in! Merry Christmas, all! Come and dance! Hilli-Ho!

FEZZIWIG stands in the middle of the crowd to call the dance. The DANCERS join in--

including YOUNG SCROOGE.

5. SOUND: WALLA--LAUGHTER AND CHEERS. DANCING AND CLAPPING IN TIME TO MUSIC--CONTINUE UNDER.

SCENE 10

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 640