Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Written by Tom Mula

About
Marley’s tale is a purgatorial retelling of a Christmas classic. Based on morality play traditions, Allison’s imagining envisions the Seven Sins as embodying each of Dicken’s characters (and some new ones from Mula). Incorporating movement, spectacle, and ensemble work, Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, presented at Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, is sure to delight.

Director’s Notes
Each Christmas, we are often reminded of the story of old Ebenezer Scrooge: a stingy miser who learns the true meaning of Christmas after the visitation of three ghosts. Through the catalyst of his old partner, Jacob Marley, Scrooge is mercifully given a second chance.

But what about Marley? The last time we see him, he and his fellow spirits are damned for all eternity. Dickens writes, “the misery with them all was that they sought to interfere in human matters, and had lost their power forever…” In Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Tom Mula reimagines this familiar world in which even the damned have agency. Even the hopeless may still find redemption. Throughout the past year and a half, there have been many occurrences where many of us have felt devoid of hope. I know I certainly have… However, Marley’s story is a reminder that even supposed endings or outcomes may lead to new beginnings.

I hope Marley’s story illuminates the wonder, the magic, and the beautiful mystery of the Christmas season. I hope it inspires you to look forward to the future, and to better love even those whom we might consider “past the point of no return.” Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol is a parable for our time: when all feels lost there may still be hope. May Marley’s story remind all of us to strive towards the Light, even in the midst of the most profound darkness.

📸 Photography by Samuel Starnes 🎩 Costumes by Maridee Alexander 💡Lighting by Tom Willis.