Act I
Scene 1: London street scene. It is January 2, 1844. The townsfolk sing about the changes they’ve seen in Scrooge in the week since Christmas. Some, including Bob Cratchit’s son Peter, doubt that he can maintain the change. We meet Nigel Crenshaw, a business rival of Scrooge, and Crenshaw’s clerk, Henry Braddock. (Surely, There Never Was Such A Week) Scrooge enters and immediately encounters his first temptation when Andy, a street urchin, tries to pick his pocket. Spirit, a mysterious character, reminds him of his recent experience, and Scrooge hires Andy as an errand boy instead of turning him over to the Constable. Bob Cratchit arrives for work, and he and Scrooge sing of the new way Scrooge intends to conduct his life and his business (Resolutions).
Scene 2: Cratchit home. Valentine’s Day. Mrs. Cratchit and her daughters Martha and Belinda reminisce and wonder about finding true love (My Sweetheart). Peter Cratchit brings his girlfriend Nell to dinner. Bob tells Peter that Scrooge & Marley is growing because of its new business practices, and that they’ll soon need another clerk, but Peter isn't yet ready to trust that the changes Scrooge has made are permanent. Nell explains that her mother, a widow, plans to open a home for orphans. She has enough money to feed and clothe them, and the Benevolent Society will pay off the mortgage she’s taken on a house on Threadneedle Street if she can convince the lender to extend the payment date until after their Christmas collection. The lender is Crenshaw.
Scene 3: Street scene. Peter walks Nell home after dinner, fretting about his father’s advice and his own lack of faith in Scrooge. Nell is optimistic, believing that people can change if they want to (What Are Dreams). Peter agrees to try to trust Scrooge.
Scene 4: Crenshaw’s office, Summer. Braddock explains to Crenshaw that they are losing clients to Scrooge because of his new, more honorable way of doing business. Crenshaw insists that others are just jealous of his success (Let’s Enjoy Ourselves). Mrs. Watson, Nell’s mother, arrives, to ask for the extension on her mortgage. Crenshaw realizes that he can use her request to make Scrooge look bad, and assures her that he will extend the date, which he has no intention of doing.
Scene 5: Scrooge’s office, Summer. Scrooge and Bob Cratchit discuss bringing Peter into the firm. Scrooge is offended when Bob mentions Peter’s former distrust, but again Spirit helps him overcome the temptation to relapse into his old ways. He offers Peter the job. The two men sing about keeping the business going (Passing It On). Andy, who has become a regular errand boy for Scrooge, enters. Scrooge is worried about the children living on the street, so Cratchit suggests that they might live in Mrs. Watson’s newly opened home for children. Andy resists the idea because he’s afraid he and his sister Amelia will be separated, and the other children in his band of urchins will be left unprotected. He also doesn’t want to give up his independence.
Scene 6: London market scene. Same day. Everyone is wilting in the heat, and the urchins are busily pilfering their dinner (Summer Day). Andy enters just in time to rescue Amelia, who has been caught stealing by the Constable and is threatened with transportation to Australia. Frightened by the close call, he reconsiders Cratchit’s idea and proposes it to the other urchins. They think it’s a joke, as unlikely as an invitation to Buckingham Palace. (Afternoon Tea with Her Majesty). Finally, the urchins agree that Andy and Amelia should check out Mrs. Watson.
Scene 7: Mrs. Watson’s parlor in the house on Threadneedle Street. Same day. Andy and Amelia meet Mrs. Watson. She welcomes them as the first new residents (Everyone Deserves A Second Chance). Amelia mentions Mr. Scrooge’s name, and Mrs. Watson is surprised to hear that he sent them. The other children enter and are also welcomed into the new family (Everyone Deserves A Second Chance Reprise).
Scene 8: Scrooge’s office. December. Scrooge, Bob and Peter are decorating the office for Christmas. Scrooge worries that all the changes he’s made will not alter the bleak future he saw last Christmas Eve. Bob assures him that no one could have done more, but when Peter suggests a change in their business practices that will lower their revenues temporarily, Scrooge nearly slips back into his old ways yet again. One more time, Spirit helps him withstand the temptation to greed. Scrooge, Peter and Bob talk about the Christmas Fair that’s happening the next day, and about Peter’s and Nell's wedding, planned for Christmas Eve.
Scene 9: Scrooge’s office, later that day. Crenshaw arrives and flatters Scrooge (You Are an Example to Us All). Crenshaw offers Scrooge a business deal that includes the mortgage to the house on Threadneedle Street. Scrooge accepts. Crenshaw then “accidentally” lets it slip that all his new friends, especially Andy, are making fun of him behind his back. Hurt and infuriated, Scrooge adopts Crenshaw’s suggestion that he evict Mrs. Watson and her orphans, tear down the orphanage and build a huge office building on the property (You Are an Example to Us All Reprise). As Act I ends, Spirit tries to remind Scrooge about his resolutions (Act One Finale).
Act II
Scene 1: London market scene. The following day at the Christmas Fair. Everyone is busy buying gifts, decorations and treats for their Christmas dinner (Christmas Fair Madrigal). The urchins and the Cratchit children are excited about the upcoming wedding of Peter and Nell (A Beautiful Wedding). Crenshaw enters and announces that he has been forced by “business matters” to sign over the Threadneedle Street mortgage to Scrooge, who intends to evict Mrs. Watson and her orphans. Everyone except Tim and Andy assumes that Scrooge has returned to his old ways, and the crowd is enraged.
Scene 2: This is a split scene. It moves back and forth between Scrooge’s office and Mrs. Watson’s parlor. Later that day. Tim, Andy and Amelia come to Scrooge’s office. Scrooge is still angry and hurt, and rebuffs the chiildren's pleas, ordering Andy to go away and never return. Meanwhile, at Mrs. Watson’s house, Peter and Nell decide that they cannot marry. Peter is determined to leave Scrooge & Marley and Nell will have to help her mother, so they cannot afford to start their life together (You Will Always Hold My Heart). Back in Scrooge’s office, the children try again to convince Scrooge not to evict Mrs. Watson (The House on Threadneedle Street) (Resolutions Reprise). Scrooge realizes that Crenshaw has played him for a fool. The children warn him that people at the Fair believe Crenshaw, and everyone is determined to put Scrooge out of business. Andy tells Scrooge that Mrs. Watson is at home, crying. Scrooge and the children set out for the Watson house.
Scene 3: Mrs. Watson’s house on Threadneedle Street. Later that day. Scrooge arrives and assures everyone that he will not foreclose. He offers Mrs. Watson the mortgage, marked “Paid in Full” as his contribution to her work. When she turns to him to accept it, he is amazed to realize that she is the lost love of his youth. Scrooge and Mrs. Watson rejoice at their reunion (I Can’t Believe It’s You).
Scene 4: London market scene. Later that day. On their way home, Scrooge, Andy and the Cratchits meet the people from the Christmas Fair and Scrooge is reviled for what they believe he is doing (Scrooge’s Stooges). Scrooge's friends defend him, telling the crowd that Scrooge has forgiven the mortgage debt. Crenshaw then produces the contract, containing a clause which states that neither party can dispose of the debt without the other's permission. Crenshaw offers to agree to the debt forgiveness if Scrooge will sign over all of his business holdings to him. This will put Scrooge out of business, but he, Bob, Peter and Nell agree that it's more important that the children have a home, and that together they can start again and rebuild, so Scrooge agrees to Crenshaw's terms. Just as he is about to sign this new agreement, Crenshaw’s clerk Braddock confesses that the first contract was altered to include the damning clause, and Scrooge's signature was forged on the altered document and on the eviction notice. The crowd turns on Crenshaw, who tries to leave, but is arrested by the Constable.
Scene 5: Mrs. Watson’s house on Threadneedle Street. Christmas Eve, right after the wedding. The children ask Scrooge to tell them again about his experiences of the previous Christmas Eve. As he begins the story, the scene freezes. Spirit enters and calls Scrooge’s name. She tells Scrooge that she is the Spirit of Christmas Forever, and that Scrooge has earned freedom from his chain. He is also assured that Tim will grow up strong and healthy. She tells Scrooge that he has learned the true secret of Christmas (For Christmas, Forever). Remembering the last Christmas Eve, Scrooge asks that Jacob Marley be released from his chains “for the good deed he did me then”. Spirit grants his wish and departs. The tableau unfreezes as Scrooge re-enters the scene and offers a toast to the newly married couple as the curtain falls (What Are Dreams/For Christmas Forever Reprise).
Scene 1: London street scene. It is January 2, 1844. The townsfolk sing about the changes they’ve seen in Scrooge in the week since Christmas. Some, including Bob Cratchit’s son Peter, doubt that he can maintain the change. We meet Nigel Crenshaw, a business rival of Scrooge, and Crenshaw’s clerk, Henry Braddock. (Surely, There Never Was Such A Week) Scrooge enters and immediately encounters his first temptation when Andy, a street urchin, tries to pick his pocket. Spirit, a mysterious character, reminds him of his recent experience, and Scrooge hires Andy as an errand boy instead of turning him over to the Constable. Bob Cratchit arrives for work, and he and Scrooge sing of the new way Scrooge intends to conduct his life and his business (Resolutions).
Scene 2: Cratchit home. Valentine’s Day. Mrs. Cratchit and her daughters Martha and Belinda reminisce and wonder about finding true love (My Sweetheart). Peter Cratchit brings his girlfriend Nell to dinner. Bob tells Peter that Scrooge & Marley is growing because of its new business practices, and that they’ll soon need another clerk, but Peter isn't yet ready to trust that the changes Scrooge has made are permanent. Nell explains that her mother, a widow, plans to open a home for orphans. She has enough money to feed and clothe them, and the Benevolent Society will pay off the mortgage she’s taken on a house on Threadneedle Street if she can convince the lender to extend the payment date until after their Christmas collection. The lender is Crenshaw.
Scene 3: Street scene. Peter walks Nell home after dinner, fretting about his father’s advice and his own lack of faith in Scrooge. Nell is optimistic, believing that people can change if they want to (What Are Dreams). Peter agrees to try to trust Scrooge.
Scene 4: Crenshaw’s office, Summer. Braddock explains to Crenshaw that they are losing clients to Scrooge because of his new, more honorable way of doing business. Crenshaw insists that others are just jealous of his success (Let’s Enjoy Ourselves). Mrs. Watson, Nell’s mother, arrives, to ask for the extension on her mortgage. Crenshaw realizes that he can use her request to make Scrooge look bad, and assures her that he will extend the date, which he has no intention of doing.
Scene 5: Scrooge’s office, Summer. Scrooge and Bob Cratchit discuss bringing Peter into the firm. Scrooge is offended when Bob mentions Peter’s former distrust, but again Spirit helps him overcome the temptation to relapse into his old ways. He offers Peter the job. The two men sing about keeping the business going (Passing It On). Andy, who has become a regular errand boy for Scrooge, enters. Scrooge is worried about the children living on the street, so Cratchit suggests that they might live in Mrs. Watson’s newly opened home for children. Andy resists the idea because he’s afraid he and his sister Amelia will be separated, and the other children in his band of urchins will be left unprotected. He also doesn’t want to give up his independence.
Scene 6: London market scene. Same day. Everyone is wilting in the heat, and the urchins are busily pilfering their dinner (Summer Day). Andy enters just in time to rescue Amelia, who has been caught stealing by the Constable and is threatened with transportation to Australia. Frightened by the close call, he reconsiders Cratchit’s idea and proposes it to the other urchins. They think it’s a joke, as unlikely as an invitation to Buckingham Palace. (Afternoon Tea with Her Majesty). Finally, the urchins agree that Andy and Amelia should check out Mrs. Watson.
Scene 7: Mrs. Watson’s parlor in the house on Threadneedle Street. Same day. Andy and Amelia meet Mrs. Watson. She welcomes them as the first new residents (Everyone Deserves A Second Chance). Amelia mentions Mr. Scrooge’s name, and Mrs. Watson is surprised to hear that he sent them. The other children enter and are also welcomed into the new family (Everyone Deserves A Second Chance Reprise).
Scene 8: Scrooge’s office. December. Scrooge, Bob and Peter are decorating the office for Christmas. Scrooge worries that all the changes he’s made will not alter the bleak future he saw last Christmas Eve. Bob assures him that no one could have done more, but when Peter suggests a change in their business practices that will lower their revenues temporarily, Scrooge nearly slips back into his old ways yet again. One more time, Spirit helps him withstand the temptation to greed. Scrooge, Peter and Bob talk about the Christmas Fair that’s happening the next day, and about Peter’s and Nell's wedding, planned for Christmas Eve.
Scene 9: Scrooge’s office, later that day. Crenshaw arrives and flatters Scrooge (You Are an Example to Us All). Crenshaw offers Scrooge a business deal that includes the mortgage to the house on Threadneedle Street. Scrooge accepts. Crenshaw then “accidentally” lets it slip that all his new friends, especially Andy, are making fun of him behind his back. Hurt and infuriated, Scrooge adopts Crenshaw’s suggestion that he evict Mrs. Watson and her orphans, tear down the orphanage and build a huge office building on the property (You Are an Example to Us All Reprise). As Act I ends, Spirit tries to remind Scrooge about his resolutions (Act One Finale).
Act II
Scene 1: London market scene. The following day at the Christmas Fair. Everyone is busy buying gifts, decorations and treats for their Christmas dinner (Christmas Fair Madrigal). The urchins and the Cratchit children are excited about the upcoming wedding of Peter and Nell (A Beautiful Wedding). Crenshaw enters and announces that he has been forced by “business matters” to sign over the Threadneedle Street mortgage to Scrooge, who intends to evict Mrs. Watson and her orphans. Everyone except Tim and Andy assumes that Scrooge has returned to his old ways, and the crowd is enraged.
Scene 2: This is a split scene. It moves back and forth between Scrooge’s office and Mrs. Watson’s parlor. Later that day. Tim, Andy and Amelia come to Scrooge’s office. Scrooge is still angry and hurt, and rebuffs the chiildren's pleas, ordering Andy to go away and never return. Meanwhile, at Mrs. Watson’s house, Peter and Nell decide that they cannot marry. Peter is determined to leave Scrooge & Marley and Nell will have to help her mother, so they cannot afford to start their life together (You Will Always Hold My Heart). Back in Scrooge’s office, the children try again to convince Scrooge not to evict Mrs. Watson (The House on Threadneedle Street) (Resolutions Reprise). Scrooge realizes that Crenshaw has played him for a fool. The children warn him that people at the Fair believe Crenshaw, and everyone is determined to put Scrooge out of business. Andy tells Scrooge that Mrs. Watson is at home, crying. Scrooge and the children set out for the Watson house.
Scene 3: Mrs. Watson’s house on Threadneedle Street. Later that day. Scrooge arrives and assures everyone that he will not foreclose. He offers Mrs. Watson the mortgage, marked “Paid in Full” as his contribution to her work. When she turns to him to accept it, he is amazed to realize that she is the lost love of his youth. Scrooge and Mrs. Watson rejoice at their reunion (I Can’t Believe It’s You).
Scene 4: London market scene. Later that day. On their way home, Scrooge, Andy and the Cratchits meet the people from the Christmas Fair and Scrooge is reviled for what they believe he is doing (Scrooge’s Stooges). Scrooge's friends defend him, telling the crowd that Scrooge has forgiven the mortgage debt. Crenshaw then produces the contract, containing a clause which states that neither party can dispose of the debt without the other's permission. Crenshaw offers to agree to the debt forgiveness if Scrooge will sign over all of his business holdings to him. This will put Scrooge out of business, but he, Bob, Peter and Nell agree that it's more important that the children have a home, and that together they can start again and rebuild, so Scrooge agrees to Crenshaw's terms. Just as he is about to sign this new agreement, Crenshaw’s clerk Braddock confesses that the first contract was altered to include the damning clause, and Scrooge's signature was forged on the altered document and on the eviction notice. The crowd turns on Crenshaw, who tries to leave, but is arrested by the Constable.
Scene 5: Mrs. Watson’s house on Threadneedle Street. Christmas Eve, right after the wedding. The children ask Scrooge to tell them again about his experiences of the previous Christmas Eve. As he begins the story, the scene freezes. Spirit enters and calls Scrooge’s name. She tells Scrooge that she is the Spirit of Christmas Forever, and that Scrooge has earned freedom from his chain. He is also assured that Tim will grow up strong and healthy. She tells Scrooge that he has learned the true secret of Christmas (For Christmas, Forever). Remembering the last Christmas Eve, Scrooge asks that Jacob Marley be released from his chains “for the good deed he did me then”. Spirit grants his wish and departs. The tableau unfreezes as Scrooge re-enters the scene and offers a toast to the newly married couple as the curtain falls (What Are Dreams/For Christmas Forever Reprise).