A Christmas Carol: The Musical

Overview
A Christmas Carol: The Musical was the made-for-TV movie adapted from the successful musical played every Christmas holiday season at The Theater at Madison Square Garden from 1995 to 2005. Every year during its ten-year run, a noted actor was chosen to play the lead, Ebenezer Scrooge, from Tony Randall (of "The Odd Couple" fame) to Tim Curry (noted for various villain voices).

At times, the part of the Ghost of Christmas Present was also played by a noted actor. (From 1995-97, the part was played by Ben Vereen, and in 1998, by Roz Ryan).)

When NBC created the TV adaptation of the musical, all the original songs from the musical score were kept in, and some songs were rewritten and extended to fill the allotted time. NBC also continued the musical's tradition by asking their very own Kelsey Grammer (of "Cheers" and "Frasier" fame) to play the lead role in their adaptation.

Synopsis
The movie opens like the original musical's prologue (Song: "A Jolly Good Time"), with everyone preparing to close down the London Stock Exchange, and a few minutes before closing time on Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Kelsey Grammer of "Cheers" and "Frasier" fame) enters and is approached by his faithful employee Bob Cratchit, who requests from his boss in song his promised Christmas bonus and also explains that his little boy, Tiny Tim, is ill and needs medical attention. Scrooge indeed does pay Cratchit his usual five shillings per day, but blots out his story about Tiny Tim.

After the close of the Stock Exchange, Scrooge is approached by a charity group and refuses their request for a donation, while Cratchit and his son attempt to purchase a turkey for Christmas dinner the next day. That night, Scrooge heads to his drafty, dark chambers, but is later hounded by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley (played by Paul Kandel, voice of "Clopin" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who reprises his role from the 1997 and 1998 runs of the original musical), who tells Scrooge in song (Song: "Link By Link") to change his ways or he will end up like Marley himself. He also warns Scrooge that the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet To Be will follow suit to visit him and take him on a special journey to the respective realms in time that they guard and rule.

At the stroke of one in the morning, the Ghost of Christmas Past, singing the signature song of the role ("The Lights of Long Ago") intermittently, sends Scrooge into the past, where he witnesses first, the conviction and sentencing of his embezzling father (who tells his son to save his fortune and keep it), and then, his younger self pining for Christmas at home with his sister Fan. The next scenes the spirit shows involves Scrooge at his first job at Fezziwig & Co., where he meets his first love, named Emily (Song: "Mr. Fezziwig's Annual Christmas Ball") and the grand opening of "Scrooge & Marley", where the younger Scrooge shuns his first love and chooses his fortune over her.

After that harrowing journey, the clock strikes two, and the Ghost of Christmas Present arrives, convincing Scrooge to give back to the community (Song: "Abundance, Charity, Goodwill Toward Men") and then shows him how both his nephew Fred and his employee Bob Cratchit spend Christmas—with their families. Even though they don't have much money, Scrooge realizes the lesson the spirit is trying to teach him: Be thankful for what you have now, not what you want in the future. Scrooge asks the spirit whether or not Tiny Tim will have a future, and he predicts that the boy will die, and uses Scrooge's words against him about "decreasing the surplus population". Finally, Christmas Present take Scrooge to a graveyard and introduces Ignorance and Want in the form of a boy and a girl, respectively. Scrooge wonders whether or not these children have some refuge, some safe haven, and the spirit leaves him alone with the words Scrooge himself used: "Are there no prisons, no workhouses?"

Left alone in the graveyard, the clock strikes three, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be shows Scrooge his future. Several people Scrooge knew from the Stock Exchange—as well as most of London—are rejoicing over the fact that the meanest, most miserly person is finally dead and buried, as is Tiny Tim, and Bob Cratchit is lamenting over the fact that his son is gone. A few scenes later, Scrooge realizes that the wretched man whose death London is rejoicing over is his own, and he makes a promise in song to change his ways. (Songs: "Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today" and "God Bless Us Everyone")

The next scene shows that Scrooge has returned to his chambers, and he finds out from one of the little homeless boys that it's Christmas morning. Scrooge realizes that there's a lot to do, and he starts giving back to the community by offering to purchase the prized turkey at the poultry shop for Bob Cratchit's family, as well as offering to spend Christmas with his nephew Fred and his family and friends. He even offers Cratchit a partnership in his firm, and Tiny Tim culminates and concludes the movie with his trademark phrase: "God Bless Us Everyone."