1.4 Marley's Ghost

8/7/2019 1.4 Marley's Ghost

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PROPS

A CLOTH Door

A door knocker

with velcro

Marleys face isthe actors face

BIG FAN blowing

Marley

ALTERNATIVE:

PROJECTION

Face on a door OR head

on stick

PROPS

Candle

Candle holder

2 Picture frames

PROPS

Put the half stage on

front USL

2. Do this twice

(a) Scrooge looks back

slowly

(b) Then tries it quickly

to catch them out

The ghosts stand in

front of the half stage

IN FRONT OF CURTAINS: curtains partly split

Scrooge [Goes to the door knocker. Suddenly

stops; gasps sharply; takes faltering

steps back. [+] Looks again. Shakeshead]

Marley [+ In a spooky hissing voice:Scrooge]

Scrooge [Enters through the curtains]

CURTAINS OPEN

1. CSL: Scrooge walks passed a painting and as

he passes, it rotates

He looks back at it, puzzled and sets it the

right way up.

2. USC: Two portraits (Mr and Mrs Marley). AsScrooge passes by, they turn and look

towards him. He stops suddenly, and swiftly

looks back, but they are facing to the front

again. Scrooge shakes head.

3. Scrooge goes to the USR and looks inside.

Looks thoughtful, puzzled.

Scrooge [Stands, clasping hands] Humbug. I

wont believe it

This gives time for Marley to rush to DSR

where he covers himself with a black cloth

becoming invisible

4. The Ghost children form a banister from CS

to CS

(a) The banister moves up and down

(b) The children turn heads as he passes

(c) Scrooge again reacts; again they look

forward

Scrooge goes inside the curtains. Ready to be put on him is his giant night

shirt, nightcap, and a candle and candle holder to be given him.

3

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Marley You dont believe in me.

Scrooge I do not sir.

Marley Why do you doubt your senses?

Scrooge [Becomes matter of fact. All fear

gone. Raises finger. Turns to Marley

and brushes past him.]

Because a little thing affects them.

[Sits down in the seat. Matter of fact]

A slight disorder of the stomach

makes the senses cheat. [Again sharp

waving of finger] Cheat! You may

bean undigested bit of beef, a-a

crumb of mouldy cheeseaa

fragment of underdone potato. Theres

more of gravy than grave about you,

whatever you are! [He takes a couple

of quick spoonfuls of broth]

Mrs M [Marches on] Come on Jacob. Scare

him. Scare him to death.

Marley I think that would defeat the object, my

dear; we are trying to save his soul,after all!

Mrs M [Punches shoulder twice on one

evening] And we have one evening to

do it in.

Marley All right, my sweet! All right!

[WAILS and shakes chains]

Scrooge [He falls down at Marleys feet] Mercy!

Dreadful apparition, why do you trouble

me?

Marley [Fiercely] Do you believe in me or not?

Scrooge I do, if I must. But why do the spirits

walk the earth, and why do they come

to me?

Marley The spiritof every manshould travel far

and wide to befriend his fellow man; if a

s irit does not o forth then it will be

SOUND

Marley wailing

ALTERNATIVE

ADDITION

To the wail:

Scrooge says

Beef, I tell you. Just

beef!

Marleys lower jaw

then drops and

Scrooge drops to his

feet


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doomed to walk the earth; doomed to

see what happiness truly is, but no

longer allowed to share it.

Scrooge [Nonplussed.] Oh. [Stands up and dusts

himself down]

Mrs M Tch!You are useless!Go on, do it again!

Marley Must I?

Mrs M [Tilts head and stares, raises eyebrows]

Marley [WAILS, shakes chains and/or drops

jaw]

Scrooge [alarmed, Again drops to knees, looks

at Marleys chains] You are fettered.

Tell me why?

Marley I wear the chain I forged in life. I made

it link by link,andyardbyyard. I made

it of my own free will, Ebenezer.

Scrooge [Shakes head] Surely not, Jacob.

Marley Would you like to know the weight and

length of the chain that you have girded

yourself with? It was as heavy and as

long as this seven Christmases ago.

[Shakes head] Ha! And you have

laboured long and hard on it since!

Scrooge [He swept his hands across the floor,

seeking the chain. He looked back at

Marley. Holds up his hand] Tell me

morebut speak comfort to me, Jacob.

Marley [Lifts the coils and then lets them fall]

I have none to give. I never travelled

beyond our counting house, Ebenezer. I

was too busy counting money instead

of counting potential blessings.

Mrs M Exactly - I was a blessing. You never

spent any time with me!

Marley I did not travel when alive and so I

have to travel now. I cannot rest, I


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cannot stay, I cannot linger long

anywhere. I must make amends!

Scrooge [Finger wagging] But you were always a

good man of business, Jacob.

Marley [Shouts] Business!? Mankindwas my

business. The common welfare was my

business; charity, mercy and

benevolence were all my business! Yet

I walked through crowds of people

with my eyes blinkered. [Again he

lifted his chains and then let them fall]

And now, as a spirit, I can do nothing!

Scrooge [He turned away, shaking his head]

Mrs M [Nudges Marley]

Marley Hear me, my time is nearly gone.

Scrooge I will. I will. But dont be hard upon me!

Marley I have sat beside you many a day in the

counting house, Ebenezer. I have

watched you forge your chain, debt by

debt, link by link.

I am here tonight to warn you, that you

have a chance and hope of escaping my

present fate.

Scrooge [Nods] You were always a good friend

to me, Jacob.

Marley You will be haunted by three spirits.

Scrooge [Aghast] Did I say friend? Three spirits?

Is that the chance and hope that you

mentioned?

Marley It is.

Scrooge [Shaking head, goes to get up] Then I

think I would rather not.

Mrs M [Nudges Marley]


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Marley [Loudly, raises chains] Without their

help you cannot hope to shun the path I

tread. Expect the first tomorrow when

the bell tolls one

Scrooge [Nonplussed] Couldnt I take them all at

once, and get it over with?

Marley [Ignoring his comment] Expect the

second soon after. But the third will be

on-the-last-stroke-of-twelve.

[Marley uses his finger to draw on his

child ghosts who come on and do an

other-worldly dance around Scrooge at

CS. Scrooge turns as they dance.

They then drift towards a gap with

their hands outstretched towards

Scrooge who holds his hands in front of

his face but they by-pass him and

they disappear one by one through the

gap in the curtains.

Marley starts to leave facing Scrooge.]

Scrooge Dont leave me, Jacob.

Marley The three spirits are your last hope and

chance, Ebenezer. Your last hope!

[Marley is shoved through the curtains

by Mrs M]

Mrs M And ours![She then disappears herself.]

DANCE

Ghostly

1.4 Marley's Ghost

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