By: John Charles Siedenberg II
Our favorite holiday character, Scrooge is meddling around his theater office trying to get ready for an upcoming show he is supporting, not knowing the play is titled "Under a Star", which of course is a Christmas play. When he discovers it is a Christmas play he decides to sabotage the show so he raises the ticket prices, ruins the scenery and rigs the lighting system. After he is finished he goes home only to find someone waiting for him, none other than Jacob Marley. When threatened to fix the mess he created at the theater, he is met by the Ghost of the past. She takes him to the manger and shows him Jesus. Then he is taken to the crucifixion where he is torn by the sight of the baby he saw a few minutes ago covered in blood and dying. He awakes in his room with the ghost of the present there to show him the people in his town that were grateful for their lives even though they had nothing to be rich about. Horrified, he awakes again to see the Ghost of the future there and he is taken to the world he creates as a person who is all negative, and sees his grave and discovers he was murdered because of his boasts of money and cruelty to people. Then he awakes on Christmas morning after a frightful night and cleans up the mess in the theater and makes everything he had made go wrong go right.
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Scrooge
Bob Cratchet
Tim Cratchet
Jacob Marley
Elizabeth
Diana
George
John
Ghost of the Past
Ghost of the Present
Ghost of the Future
Jesus
Mary
Joseph
3 Guards
Scene 1
(Start of the scene is Scrooge and Cratchit in a little office where Bob is working on signs and Scrooge is working on tickets and pay checks)
Scrooge: Mr. Cratchit
Bob: Yes sir?
Scrooge: Do you know what today is?
Bob: Why yes it's Christmas Eve!
Scrooge: NO! It's the seventh year anniversary of Jacob Marley's death!
Bob: Yes, sir I know. He was a very good man!
Scrooge: HUMBUG! He wasn't a good man at all! He was never here at work, and when he was he was daydreaming of helping the poor! Don't the taxes we pay for those work houses do enough!
Bob: Sir, the poor should be helped better than that since many would rather die, they're worse of than EVEN me! I think-
Scrooge: You think nothing! Besides if they would rather die they'd better do so to decrease the surplus population. Keep your mind on finishing the signs for the play in three days instead of busying your little brain on the poor!
Bob: Yes, sir! Sorry!
Scrooge: What's the name of this confounded play that's to be a surprise for me and that I have been supporting for the past three months?
Bob: Well, uh (trying to hide the truth)
Scrooge: (Walking over to the desk Bob is working at, Scrooge reads the sign out loud) Under a Star, a CHRISTMAS play based on the manger and the hope that CHRISTMAS brings! (Bob sighs at the knowledge of the yelling he's about to receive) What is the meaning of this? Why did NO ONE tell me about this being a Christmas- (He is interrupted by George entering the office)
George: MERRY CHRISTMAS UNCLE!
Scrooge: (Calmed down a little) HUMBUG! What are YOU doing here?
George: I WANTED to invite to my annual Christmas celebration at my house tomorrow evening. But if you'd rather not I shalln't worry my head about you though I do pity you uncle!
Scrooge: Well take your pity and save it for every person who goes around with merry Christmas on his lips. You know those people should be boiled in their own pudding (snickers) and buried with a steak of holly through their heart (laughs very loudly)
George: But uncle-
Scrooge: (Still humored by his joke) Nephew, keep Christmas in your way and let me keep it in mine.
George: Keep it! But you don't keep it!
Scrooge: Then let me leave it alone then and get out of my office I have work to do!
George: I shall be praying VERY VERY hard for YOU uncle Ebenezer.
Scrooge: OUT!
George: Merry Christmas uncle, and to you Bob Cratchit
Bob: Same to you sir!
Scrooge: Bah!
George: (Loudly) And a Happy New Year!
Scrooge: BAH HUMBUG!
(George leaves)
Bob: Sir, I was wondering if I could have the day off tomorrow.
Scrooge: To enjoy the Christmas festivities tomorrow?
Bob: Yes, it's only once a year anyway sir, I'm almost done with the signs and can finish them at home!
Scrooge: Why do you insist on picking a man's pocket every twenty fifth of December?
Bob: Please, Sir I'll make it up! I promise I will!
Scrooge: Be here all the earlier the next day!!
Bob: Yes sir!
Scrooge: I'm leaving now Cratchit, you'll lock up as soon as you're done!
Bob: Yes, sir, good night sir!
(Scrooge exits and end of scene)
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Copyright John Charles Siedenberg II, all rights reserved.
This is not the full script. The full script can be obtained by contacting the author, at the address below. A royalty fee of $17.00 (American currency) is requested. It can be sent in the mail to the author's address: 121 High Street, Williamstown KY 41097, USA. To obtain the full script, email: johnseed@fuse.net