Marley [Entering from the back] SOUND:

Woe is me The clanking of

Woe is me chains
Doomed to walk
Doomed to carry PROPS
The chain I forged in life A very big chain
indeed – the length of
[Pause – count five steps] the hall
No mercy
No grace
Doomed to walk
Doomed to carry
The chain I forged in life

[Climbs the stairs and stands centre

stage]

Come my waifs [Waifs come

My orphans on from the
Doomed to walk back]
Doomed to carry
The chain I forged in life

Come my lads
Come my lasses
Doomed to walk
Doomed to carry
The chain I forged in life

Come my….

Mrs Marley [Marches on and shoves Marley in the

back] Wife? Do you want to whine
about your wife who’s stuck walking
the earth because of the damned chain
you forged in life? Look where your
greed has got me!

Marley [Shakes head and does whine] Am I

doomed to apologise each and every
hour of each and every day?

Mrs Marley The truth? Yes! I need some fun in life!

1
Marley But it may not be long before we are
free…if I can save a soul…just one
soul…

Mrs Marley Oh, I know the spirits have given you a

chance to save us all, Jacob Marley.
You have to save just one soul. Just
one. And you choose - Mr Ebenezer
Scrooge. That rapacious old skinflint,
that grasping, clutching, covetous,
miserable old miser. That evil,
greedy, envious old sinner. That…

Marley [Raises palm of hand] I get the

message, Madam. I have ears, to hear
(alas!).

But he is – was – my friend. My

business partner…

Mrs Marley Your partner in parsimony! You want

to soften the heart of a man who is as
hard and sharp as flint? You want to
soften the heart of a man who shrugs
his shoulders at the cries of the poor?
Who is deaf to the weeping of
children?

Marley I never said it would be easy… PROPS

Parasol
Mrs Marley It won’t be easy? It is impossible, you
fool! [Mrs Marley beats him off the
stage with her parasol; the children
ghosts follow behind]