The Tale of Eliza Scrooge: Bringing Dickens to Modern Edinburgh

By Lewis C. Baird

There are few stories like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which have stood the test of time and have resonated with generation after generation. The narrative’s compelling characters, supernatural encounters and powerful message about compassion and redemption have inspired countless adaptations to stage, film and television. When I was approached to develop an adaptation of a known tale by Leitheatre, it was too irresistible to not choose Dickens’ notorious tale.  The development process didn’t just involve bringing a new version of this story to stage but to switch the tale to a Scottish perspective and discover how the hard hitting Victorian issues could be transposed into issues that are affecting those living in 21st Century Edinburgh.

The result is a new, female-led adaptation of this much-loved Christmas classic, created in collaboration between Leitheatre and Forth Children’s Theatre. Coming to Church Hill Theatre from 25 to 28 November 2026, the production forms part of Leitheatre’s 80th anniversary celebrations and marks an exciting first collaboration between our two amateur theatre companies.

For me, this project has not just allowed me to tackle a complex adaptation head on but also shift and mold the story into something new whilst still preserving Dickens’ Gothic punch when tackling social-political issues of the time. Of course this tale alludes to theatre magic, a journey of discovery and an exploration of what Christmas means to each individual across the country, that all is featured within this new play.

Why revisit A Christmas Carol?

One of the great strengths of Dickens’ writing is that his observations about human behaviour remain recognisable long after the circumstances in which he wrote have changed. Greed, inequality, loneliness and the temptation to place financial success above human relationships are not confined to Victorian England. They remain part of the world around us, and that continuing relevance is what makes A Christmas Carol such fertile ground for a new adaptation.

However, adapting a classic successfully requires more than transferring its characters into a different period and hoping that the original story will do the rest. I wanted to understand what might drive a contemporary person towards the kind of coldness and isolation we associate with Scrooge, and how the world around that person might contribute to their outlook.

What pressures might lead someone to value profit above people? How does ambition become something destructive rather than fulfilling? And, perhaps most importantly, what does it take for someone to recognise the consequences of their actions and begin to change?

These questions became central to my approach to The Tale of Eliza Scrooge. Dickens’ themes of greed, compassion and redemption remain at the heart of the production, but placing them in a contemporary Scottish setting allows us to explore them through circumstances that feel immediate and relevant to our audiences.

Why Edinburgh, and why now?

Choosing Edinburgh as the setting was an important component of developing the adaptation. I felt that to remain within London whilst the production is playing in Edinburgh and features local performers from the city and surrounding areas would be jarring to resonate.  Furthermore, traditionally in the Victorian era Hogmanay held greater significance than Christmas in Scotland, and that distinction made a straightforward recreation of Victorian Edinburgh less suitable for the story I wanted to tell. Therefore, we shifted the tale into current day Edinburgh, which gave us a unique perspective to approach this well known story with.

The city provides a recognisable backdrop against which the story's central questions can unfold. Its commercial life, its festive atmosphere and the contrasts between prosperity and hardship all offer opportunities to examine the relationship between individual success and collective wellbeing.

I was particularly interested in exploring how Dickens’ social commentary might resonate with people experiencing the economic challenges of modern life. Rising costs, financial insecurity and the pressures placed on workers and communities provide a contemporary context for a story that has always asked us to consider how we treat one another.

By bringing these concerns into a modern Edinburgh, I hope the production will encourage audiences to see A Christmas Carol not simply as a traditional Christmas ghost story, but as a work that continues to challenge our assumptions about wealth, responsibility and the value we place on other people.

Meet Eliza Scrooge

At the centre of the play is Eliza Scrooge, a ruthless retail chief executive whose relentless pursuit of profit has made her a feared figure, particularly among her employees. Successful, ambitious and fiercely determined, Eliza has built her life around business and financial achievement, seemingly at the expense of compassion and human connection.

Reimagining Scrooge as a woman was an opportunity to explore the character from a fresh perspective, while retaining the essential conflict that makes Dickens’ original so compelling. Whilst Eliza is firmly based on Ebenezer and the parallels are clear to see in bringing the same light and shade (mostly shade) into the character, she has her own lived experiences and her journey molds her into something slightly different than what we have seen previously from the infamous protagonist (or antagonist depending your persuasion).

I wanted to explore the circumstances that might push someone towards cruelty, isolation or sadness, without losing sight of the harm their actions can cause. This meant examining what hardships someone her age may have faced and bringing them to stage in an authentic and caring way, truly giving the audience an origin story that resonates with them.

Eliza's story begins to shift on Christmas Eve, when the ghost of her late business partner, Jessica Marley, appears with a chilling warning. Guided through encounters with the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, Eliza is forced to confront the consequences of her choices and consider what the future might hold if she continues along the same path.

The supernatural structure of Dickens’ story remains, but its purpose is to bring Eliza into direct confrontation with herself. Her journey raises a question that sits at the heart of the play: is it ever too late to change, and what might it take for someone to recognise that the life they have built is not necessarily the life they should continue to lead?

A story about more than Christmas

Although The Tale of Eliza Scrooge is very much a Christmas production, its concerns extend beyond the festive season. Christmas provides the setting and atmosphere for the story, but the deeper subject is the relationship between personal responsibility and our obligations to the people around us.

I wanted to retain the emotional power of Dickens’ original while giving these ideas a fresh urgency. The familiar journey through past, present and future of course doesn’t just create the opportunities to explore the complex issues featured in this production but also it has a real sense of fantasy with the three spirits (four including Jennifer), giving us the elevation of the supernatural to bring to stage, which at points feels like something more poignant with Halloween than Christmas. 

Yet it does feel like the central themes and issues we are exploring could easily be separated from Christmas as they affect families all year round.

Ultimately, this is a story about the choices we make, the impact those choices have on others and our capacity to change when we are willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

Bringing two Edinburgh theatre companies together

One of the most exciting aspects of The Tale of Eliza Scrooge is the opportunity to bring Leitheatre and Forth Children’s Theatre (officially) together for the first time.

For this production it was clear from the offset that we needed an adult and youth cast to truly bring the idea to fruition, which ultimately meant that it could not be a sole Leitheatre production, which is where the connection to Forth Children’s Theatre over the last decade stepped in. This gave us the opportunity to allow FCT to present a very different production this November and give young people the chance to participate within a play rather than Musical Theatre. That being said, we have included a rather haunting choir in this production as it raises the atmosphere of the production and brings FCT’s young people’s talents to the forefront in a very unique way. In terms of adults there is still a very big shift in the characters those from Leitheatre have tackled within recent years so it feels like a shake up for them too.

Both companies have their own histories, experience and creative identities, and the collaboration offers an opportunity to combine those strengths in a shared production. It is particularly fitting that this partnership forms part of Leitheatre’s 80th anniversary celebrations, marking an important milestone in the company's contribution to amateur theatre in Edinburgh.

Community theatre in Edinburgh is thriving, and it’s amazing to see but there has been little opportunities presented such as this when two independent companies unite to combine resources and present something that represents both of their shared values. It’s a very rewarding process to be working with two companies I have directed for previously, and seeing them both work as a team to bring together something new and slightly different for their programming.

New work often is only presented by professional companies but it is highly rewarding to place this story in the hands of the community the narrative is based within and allow them to explore this journey in a way which brings such depth to the familiar surroundings and ideologies of the play.

Looking ahead to November

We have been working on this production since September and it is a tight turnaround for the play, however, the cast and crew have been working tirelessly to ensure that this production really is special. From the initial auditions, the read through, to now running Act One and continuing work on Act Two, it has been great to watch this production grow.

All involved are very excited to see the local audience’s reaction to this play and know that there are many little easter eggs featured which will firmly resonate with those who know Scotland’s Capital well. 

We’re on the final sprint to the finish line and we can’t wait for audiences to see the hard work our cast and crew have put into this production to make it truly special. 

See The Tale of Eliza Scrooge in Edinburgh

The Tale of Eliza Scrooge

Presented by Forth Children’s Theatre and Leitheatre

Venue: Church Hill Theatre, 33 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4DR

Dates: Wednesday 25 – Saturday 28 November 2026

Evening performances: 7.30 pm

Saturday matinee: 2.30 pm

Tickets available online here.