MTI is pleased to announce the acquisition of licensing rights for Estella Scrooge (A Christmas Carol with a Twist).

Estella Scrooge features a book by Tony Award winner John Caird (Children of Eden, Les Misérables, Daddy Long Legs, Nicholas Nickleby, Jane Eyre, Candide) and music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Paul Gordon (Emma, Daddy Long Legs, Jane Eyre).

A modern-day take on Charles Dickens’ beloved 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, Estella Scrooge features a female title character and wittily incorporates characters and plot lines from Dickens’ other great novels, including Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, and Bleak House, among others.

Estella Scrooge is a young Wall Street tycoon with a penchant for foreclosing. A hotelier in her hometown of Pickwick, Ohio has defaulted on his mortgage, and Estella fancies the idea of lowering the boom personally. Arriving at Harthouse on Christmas Eve, Estella discovers that the defaulting party is her childhood sweetheart, Pip Nickleby. A good and generous soul, Pip has transformed the property into a refuge for the sick, dispossessed and homeless. A freak snowstorm forces Estella to take refuge at Harthouse. That night, just as it happened to her ancestor Ebenezer, she is haunted by three visitations...and oh, what uninvited houseguests they are!

Drew Cohen, the President and CEO of Music Theatre International stated, “This brand new holiday musical is a welcome addition to MTI’s catalogue. Theatres are always looking for a seasonal show that resonates with their audiences, and Estella Scrooge offers the perfect mix of a familiar story updated with modern sensibilities and a heavy dose of humor and warmth. John Caird’s book is a delight and Paul Gordon’s music and lyrics breathe new life into a beloved classic tale.”

A fantastic production of the show was digitally captured during the pandemic, utilizing cutting-edge technology. The fully-realized all-star cast production, a dazzlingly cinematic musical theatre adventure, was filmed using green screen while employing strict social distancing practices, with hundreds of images, animations and digital environments blended in post-production with the footage of the actors to bring the story magically to life. The production features Betsy Wolfe, Clifton Duncan, 2020 Tony Award winner Lauren Patten, Patrick Page, Carolee Carmello and 2020 Tony Award winner Danny Burstein, with direction by John Caird.

To view a trailer and rent or purchase the stream, please visit here.

“We’re so happy to be collaborating with our dear friends at MTI to bring our new holiday musical to life in the midst of these mad and maddening times,” said John Caird and Paul Gordon. “Estella Scrooge is our modern-day retelling of the Dickens classic, made by colliding together the plots of Christmas Carol and Great Expectations and a few of the great man's other works, and watching the sparks fly. Estella first came to life as a film, shot last fall at the height of the pandemic, one actor at a time, one scene at a time, under strict Covid rules. We had an amazingly rewarding time putting it together, but now we can anticipate an even greater pleasure: companies performing the show as we first imagined it! On an actual stage! With live actors playing to live audiences! God bless us everyone!”

MTI will make the show available for licensing sometime in the spring of 2022, but in the meantime information can be found here.