Marley was dead: to begin with…' One ghostly Christmas night, coldhearted businessman Ebenezer Scrooge gets the fright of his life, discovers the truth about himself, and learns to love his neighbour. This adaptation by David Edgar of the Charles Dickens classic – one of the best-loved stories ever written – rediscovers the social conscience of the timeless tale. It was premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon for Christmas 2017, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. The smash-hit, critically acclaimed production was revived in 2018, and again in 2022, with Adrian Edmondson in the role of Scrooge. 'David Edgar gave the RSC one of its biggest hits in its history with his eight-and-a-half-hour adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby... Now, forty years on, he has set to work on A Christmas Carol... a magnificent achievement' Telegraph'David Edgar's new version for the RSC... goes back beyond the sanitised version in popular consciousness to what Dickens actually wrote, and why' Financial Times'Dickens's message about the need to treat poverty as a rectifiable evil rather than a moral failing comes through loud and clear' Guardian'David Edgar cleverly ups the politics... A festive show that doesn't shirk from emphasising Dickens's still topical point' Sunday Times'This family show radiates old-fashioned comfort and joy' Mail on Sunday'David Edgar's adaptation retains the overall message of redemption while introducing a lot of humour as a counterpoint to the social commentary… dark, yet heartwarming' The Reviews Hub'This politically charged new version feels both plausibly Victorian and sharply relevant' Evening Standard