←Recommendations of A LOVE STORY

An origin story for Ebenezer Scrooge, but make him and Jacob Marley a couple. What I love about this one-act is Richter's commitment to nestling the play as a workable origin story for a centuries-old character, Dickensian language and all, but with a story unmistakably written in the here and now. It's difficult to pull off, but Richter sells it quite well. I'd love to see this one up on its feet in time for Christmas!

Never once has The Ghost of Christmas Past shown me any of THIS... which is a shame because it's SO damned good! The characterization is immaculate and specific, adding depth and dimension to characters I thought I knew. Even so, the script never contradicts the source material. The dialogue is rich and romantic, and the deeply tragic ending is tender and feels very well-earned. In fact, I'd say this "lost prologue" makes the original story richer! This is a truly stunning queer holiday story!

There was something really lovely about this play's stage potential and I would love to see it performed one day. Richter really understood the needs of all characters, making for an honest, touching, and deeply tragic backstory to one of the English canon's most iconic characters.

In "A Christmas Carol" we get some of Scrooge's backstory. But we never see the story of the Scrooge and Marley partnership. Adam Richter here suggests it might have been more than a mere business arrangement. Even so, love was unable to overcome the cold view of the world both of them shared. Marley's visit to Scrooge in the original story is poignant. His death in this one is even more so. And the stage direction for the sound of unwinding chains at appropriate moments is chilling. It's an excellent new look at perhaps over-familiar characters.

This is so beautiful. And tragic. If you didn't know Scrooge would get another chance in the next chapter, thanks to Marley, it would be absolutely heart breaking. But the consequences Marley suffers are dark and miserable. My hopes are that he and Scrooge will both be free of their chains in the far off future. These characters, including the nurse, are so well defined in their own world here. This is a must for holiday programming! Especially amongst the LGBTQ+ theatres! Take note!

Clearly, the Ghost of Christmas Past left out some important information. Scrooge and Marley had a history together, and Adam Richter, as if channeling the voice of Charles Dickens, explores that history with great care. We see Scrooge well along the path to the character we know so well, but still with a touch of humanity. Another loss would erase that. Beautifully imagined and written!

Adam Richter teases us with this delightful story of love, of family, and of regret. The tease is the relationship that Marley and Scrooge had and was there more? A nickname here, bedsides, and other subtleties suggest the love that Marley and Scrooge have for each other extends beyond business and it’s brilliant. As is usually the case with Adam’s plays, I want more. I want the relationship. Amazing play.

A good prequel not only stands entirely on its own as a story, but recontextualizes everything we know to come, enhancing both parties for the better. With "Jacob and Ebenezer," Richter has given us a masterclass. Poignant, foreboding, and full of Dickensian charm, it is certainly the best Christmas gift a producing company could share with a community. Go ahead and bill it with your next romp through "A Christmas Carol," because it would do wonders.

The trick Adam Richter pulls off here is remarkable: his invented history for Scrooge and Marley adds layers and shading to our understanding of them, without redeeming, excusing, or re-writing who they become later in the events we know from Dickens. The coldness, cruelty, and greed remain, despite the secret love, care, and passion that exist behind closed doors...and possibly even because of them. A very smart, admirably restrained examination of the twisting effects of stifled and hidden love.

My father read "A Christmas Carol" to my siblings when we were children. It is, in essence, a story for children as a life lesson interlaced with a ghost story to keep the attention of the wee folk. The lesson is simple: realize what the holiday is all about. But what Adam Richter has done with this story is give us the foundation as to why Ebenezer Scrooge is the way he is and why he despises the sentiment of the day: it is a painful reminder of the love he had for Jacob. Complex, truthful, and brutally beautiful.