A Christmas Carol Archives - Page 2 of 5

★★★★★

“The quality and theatricality of this production is unparalleled”

Few pieces of literature have had such a profound impact on how we think of Christmas today as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Has the festive season truly begun unless you’ve read the book, seen a TV adaptation or listened to the Great Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat tell their version of events? With so many adaptations across different mediums it’s hard to pick favourites, or see in advance what another one might bring to the table.

Enter Matthew Warchus’ production at the Old Vic, now in its fifth year at the venue and with US, Irish and Australian versions on the roster. Having passed the poster for the show many times over the years, I have cynically thought this production would be more about fattening the goose of the Old Vic at a time of thin gruel for theatres. This may well still be true, but there are more joyful reasons I am now sure this show comes back, year after year.

The quality and theatricality of this production is unparalleled. The auditorium of the Old Vic is transformed with a cross-shaped stage to bring the audience in to the action, quite literally, with mince pies and satsumas handed out by ushers and actors before they seem to spontaneously start to perform. Recognisable carols are sung by the cast throughout, elevated by the tinkling of handbells and supported by a string quartet some of whose members occasionally grace the stage to play the fiddle alongside the chorus. It leans in to the best parts of live performance with aplomb – audience interaction, mesmeric set and resonant live sound to fully immerse the audience in Dickens’ Victorian Southwark.

“The final act is full of Christmas magic that will have you gasping in awe”

Eccleston is fearsome as Dickens’ miserly Mr Scrooge, a character whose name and exclamation of ‘Bah Humbug’ have become shorthand for anti-Christmas sentiment. He embodies the tight-fistedness of the role, striding across the stage sweeping his tattered coat behind him and adding a Shakespearean flair to his enunciation. Jack Thorne’s adaptation gives more depth to Scrooge’s backstory, finding the cause of his fastidiousness to finance in the debt-ridden woes of his father and desire to provide for his first love Mr Fezziwig’s daughter, Belle, artfully portrayed by Frances McNamee.

One of the reason’s this 180 year old story is so enduring is its message of hope and charity. Who couldn’t be moved by the Cratchit family? It’s not just Tiny Tim, adorably portrayed by Freddie Merritt as one of four actors on rotation, but the warmth and adoration of Rob Compton as Bob Cratchit for his darling wife despite the meagre mealtime offerings that warms the hearts of the audience and Mr Scrooge. His evolution to a man who “knew how to keep Christmas well” is delightfully uplifting with so much to see and be excited by. The final act is full of Christmas magic that will have you gasping in awe as a result of Rob Howell’s set and costume. Full credit due to the expertise of the full crew for delivering such a thrilling production.

Isn’t a production like this just what we love about Christmas? The ritual. The repetition every year of the same decorations, carols, movies. It allows us to live in a world where nothing has really changed, everything is simple, and there is promise that we can reset and start over again. No matter what there is to come or what has gone before, we are safe in the knowledge that at this time of year we know the next line, and the one after that. No matter if it’s Christopher Eccleston, Michael Caine, or Suranne Jones delivering it. Make this show a Christmas tradition, particularly if you have young children. It converted this Scrooge and will you too.

A Christmas Carol

Online via Jermyn Street Theatre and Guildford Shakespeare Company

Reviewed – 19th December 2020

★★★

“The spirit of Christmas present may have taken a holiday this year, and while this show doesn’t quite lure it back, it does remind us of our Christmases past”

On the day that Christmas was effectively cancelled, it is perhaps a natural reaction to want to seek refuge in some sort of seasonal escapism. ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ or ‘Bad Santa’. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is another annual favourite. Something comfortingly familiar and predictable. Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” fits the bill perfectly. Written during a time when the British were re-evaluating themselves, its themes of transformation and redemption inspired, if not created, the aspects of Christmas we have grown to love; including family gatherings, festive food and drink, games and a communal generosity of spirit.

In the absence of that, the Guildford Shakespeare Company with Jermyn Street Theatre, are beaming their live, staged version of the story via Zoom, which allows a degree of audience participation. The technology, born of necessity back in March, still feels a little underdeveloped, but it does let the curtain rise on productions that would otherwise remain locked away in the dark.

Naylah Ahmed’s faithful adaptation pulls no surprises. We all know the story, which is its selling point, along with the two names in the cast – Penelope Keith and Brian Blessed who play the ghosts of Christmas Past and Present respectively. Keith displays her signature imperious disdain for the unreformed Scrooge with a deadpan, but slightly apologetic, sense of humour (“I am not a sir, sir!”), while Blessed’s distinctly unapologetic performance plays up to his own caricature. They are both a formidable and colourful presence. Jim Findley, as Ebenezer Scrooge, fails to react accordingly, and doesn’t seem to be too distraught that his night is disturbed by these uninvited and foreboding spirits.

Rallying round, though, are the three multi-rolling cast members who pick up the remaining characters. Robin Morrissey’s versatility leapfrogs from his Jacob Marley to Bob Cratchitt to Mr Fezziwig with ease, accompanied by the sparkly eyed Paula James as Mrs Cratchitt, Fezziwig and others. Paula James, along with Lucy Pearson, who has her own hamper full of characters, bring a lightness of touch to what is a fairly stolid and dependable narration.

Despite the commitment of the cast, they seem unsure as to who the audience is. Director Natasha Rickman seems to be steering them, perhaps against their will, towards a younger crowd. The sense of enjoyment is prevalent but at the expense of the magic and awe that this tale should inspire. The show features children from the Guildford Shakespeare Company’s drama clubs, in rotation, as the Cratchitt children, and it is a delight to see the relish with which the three young ensemble cast dive into their roles.

The spirit of Christmas present may have taken a holiday this year, and while this show doesn’t quite lure it back, it does remind us of our Christmases past and give us hope for those yet to come. But we want to toast the future with effervescence and this ‘Christmas Carol’ doesn’t have the sparkling warmth to uplift us fully. But ‘Humbug’ to that. The run is already sold out online so don’t listen to this old Scrooge.

Tag Archives: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

★★★★★

The Old Vic

A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the The Old Vic

★★★★★

“The quality and theatricality of this production is unparalleled”

“The final act is full of Christmas magic that will have you gasping in awe”

A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the The Old Vic

Reviewed on 22nd November 2023

by Amber Woodward

Photography by Manuel Harlan

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Pygmalion | ★★★★ | September 2023