“Bah! Humbug!”

An age-old tale of greed, poverty and the Christmas spirit will be retold at Fisher Theater this weekend as the ISU Theatre performs Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

“A Christmas Carol” is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner,” and his fellow acquaintances.

“The story is all about [Scrooge’s] redemption,” says Patrick Gouran, associate professor of music, who is playing the role of Scrooge.

Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, and his employee, Bob Crachit, provide a constant kindness to Scrooge that is far more than he deserves. Scrooge is also visited by three spirits — of Christmas past, present and future — who help to open his eyes and bring him to salvation.

“[A Christmas Carol] is a whimsical portrait of late 18th-century life styles and beliefs mixed with the joyous exaltations of Christmas,” says Michael Dahlstrom, graduate student in biophysics, who is playing the role of Fred, Scrooge’s nephew.

Each performer hopes to bring out the hardships and poverty of Scrooge’s acquaintances.

Scott Morehead Jr., sophomore in performing arts, is playing the role of Bob Crachit.

“Bob Crachit is the head of a household, a husband and a father of five children,” Morehead says. “His family is very poor, but thriving.”

Morehead wishes to open more than just Scrooge’s eyes.

“[The production] is one of forgiveness and love,” Morehead says. “We try to put emphasis on the bad and sorrowful to allow the audience to see how bad [the characters] have it.”

Students should come and see “A Christmas Carol” and learn, despite the stress of final exams, that students do not have it that bad, Morehead says.

The production is an adaptation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by Jane Cox, director of ISU Theatre and associate professor of music.

“A Christmas Carol” does more than entertain, Cox says.

“This production is very special to us,” Cox says. “It has brought a community together by involving the children, students and faculty with a cast of 40 members.”

The production has given the cast a chance to meet with the children of the community, Morehead says.

“It’s like each of us has adopted a kid, or in my place, five,” Morehead says. “It’s very unifying — one moment [the children] are climbing all over you and the next they’re on someone else.”

Charles Dickens was born on Feb. 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England, and died on June 9, 1870. Some of his other novels include “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Oliver Twist” and “David Copperfield.”

“[Dickens] speaks a lot of truth with the amazing things he has his characters do,” Morehead says.

Dickens has an “absolutely wonderful” way of drawing his characters, Gouran says.

The ISU Theatre will perform “A Christmas Carol” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. The production will also be performed the following week, Dec. 12, 13, 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Iowa State Center box office.