★★★★

“This polished, paranormal staging rattles its chains as effectively as it warms the heart”

Christmas hasn’t always been twinkling lights and cosy fires – in Dickens’ time, ghost stories helped pass the long winter nights, a tradition cemented by ‘A Christmas Carol’. Mark Gatiss’ stage adaptation, ‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story’, leans into this seasonal spookiness, casting a chilling shadow across the festive favourite. Catch this show’s third run at the fittingly haunting Alexandra Palace if you fancy something darker this Christmas.

Scrooge and Marley revel in another year of ruthless debt collecting – until Marley drops dead. Fast forward seven years and Scrooge remains a miser with no care for people’s suffering. One fateful Christmas Eve, a night of supernatural encounters confronts him with the cost of his choices. Can he atone and will his redemption endure?

Gatiss’ adaptation honours Dickens’ legacy, faithfully preserving the original plot and prose while artfully reimagining it for theatre. Its more traditional feel is sharpened by the darker edge of ghostly encounters, with some playful asides adding wit and dimension to Scrooge. The conclusion stays true to Dickens, yet a satisfying twist underscores the permanence of Scrooge’s transformation and makes his ordeal all the more meaningful.

Director Adam Penford keeps the audience on edge, sustaining a haunting energy with slick stagecraft and well timed jump scares softened by moments of wit and affection. Towering, oppressive set pieces dominate with meticulous blocking ensuring clarity throughout. Smart use of the stage apron adds dynamism in the large space, and video projections cleverly augment the set.

Georgina Lamb’s movement direction injects bursts of merriment, with choreographed sequences adding welcome dynamism between darker passages. These moments not only heighten contrast but soften the focus on Scrooge, giving the production greater texture and variety.

Tingying Dong’s score demonstrates effortless range, shifting from deliciously eerie moments to bursts of Christmas cheer. The choral section is a particularly effective touch, bringing Scrooge into the fold.

Paul Wills’ impressive design brims with symbolism. Towering filing cabinets echo Scrooge’s isolation while his elevated desk reflects self perceived superiority. The stark bleakness of Scrooge’s office and Victorian streets are sharp contrast to the warmth of the Christmas scenes, creating a visual journey that underscores the character’s transformation. John Bulleid’s illusion design delivers clever sleight of hand and well timed jump scares, conjuring a genuinely haunted atmosphere. Philip Gladwell’s inventive lighting design dazzles, blending an array of effects to bring maximum drama. Ella Wahlström’s sound design perfectly captures a freezing Victorian Christmas, seamlessly layering whipping wind, clanging clocks and spectral sounds. Nina Dunn’s video design evokes the texture of real life London. Matthew Forbes’s puppet design extends the otherworldly feel but could benefit from deeper integration. The dog is undeniably charming despite its curious lack of hindlegs, while the ghost children are truly creepy.

This strong cast features famous faces. Neil Morrissey brings a lighter touch to Marley, sputtering comically to death before returning with a far more haunting presence. Matthew Cottle shines as Scrooge, capturing the frosty miser while subtly suggesting the man beneath. His performance blossoms into a more nuanced portrayal of redemption, avoiding the pitfall of manic exaggeration. The ensemble handles their multi roling with skill, shifting accents and characterisations with ease. The slightly echoey acoustics demand clearer diction at times, especially when employing accents.

‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story’ offers a darker take on the Christmas classic. This polished, paranormal staging rattles its chains as effectively as it warms the heart, making the trip to Alexandra Palace well worth the journey.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Alexandra Palace Theatre

★★★★

“It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.”

The lights are dim, casting shadows on the revolving doors and liquor bottles, while silhouettes of shady figures move silently in the twilight, fedora’s tilted to shade the eyes. We expect Sam Spade to step out from the smoky, jazz rhythms; dressed in his gabardine long coat and Bogart drawl. Or Cary Grant with his transatlantic blend of cut glass and high class. But instead, Katy Owen, stalwart of Emma Rice’s ‘Wise Children’ company, trashes the fourth wall and greets us like music hall regulars. Lithe and angular, she moves like a panther high on humour and anarchic energy. She is the narrator, the professor, and other spies and deliciously unsavoury characters that fill the world Rice has created. Along with the five other cast members (is that all… there seem to be so many more?) she upturns, subverts and twists Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “North by Northwest”. ‘You’ve got to be on the ball to keep up with this’ she proclaims at the outset. Never mind being on the ball. We are clearly going to have a ball.

Newspaper headlines tell us where we are in time and context and banded suitcases let us know where we are in place, and who we are dealing with. Even so, it’s probably best to brush up on a rough synopsis before entering the auditorium. If only to appreciate the in-jokes and inventive use of props and scenery to depict the scenes. You must go and see for yourself how the iconic bi-plane chase in the cornfield is recreated. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is a spy story, set in the late fifties, that sweeps across North America from New York to Mount Rushmore via Chicago. A tale of mistaken identity. Roger Thornhill (Ewan Wardrop) summons a bell boy in the Plaza hotel, New York, so he can call his mum. Two suspicious looking gangsters are watching him and assume he is George Kaplan – a spy who needs to be kidnapped and taken to their master. The ‘butterfly effect’ sets in motion a chaotic series of events whereby Roger becomes the hunted and the hunter, searching for the non-existent Kaplan (he’s an FBI made-up decoy) while being pursued by both enemies and friends of the state. Oh, and he falls in love on the way with double agent Eve (Patrycja Kujawska). Nobody is who they appear to be. It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.

There is a lot of multi-rolling – and gender blind is an understatement. Karl Queensborough is magnificent as the gangster ringleader Phillip Vandamn, while giving a hilarious turn as other cameos – especially Roger’s mother. Mirabelle Gremaud and Simon Oskarsson get to demonstrate their versatility as the hapless spies Anna and Valerian, among countless others. Kujawska’s Eve is suitably slippery, yet sassily sensual as the love interest we never know whether to trust or not. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Roger never loses faith (well, maybe for a moment or too – but he’s only human). Wardrop pitches the offhand charm and wit to near perfection.

As with all Rice’s shows, music is a key feature. Composer Simon Baker mixes his own sounds with classic tunes from the period. But absent is the actor-muso element. Instead, to fabulous comic effect, the cast lip synch to the musical numbers with faultless precision. Etta Murfitt’s choreography adds surreal touches that, in less able hands, could easily jar but this company are expert at combining physical theatre with drama, with comedy – and with storytelling. Owen’s narration certainly helps. A star performance, and she still has time to slip into other guises.

It is in danger of becoming a little bit muddled towards its final moments, and the same tricks are just on the brink of being overused. But as these zany, talented characters cling to the precipice of Mount Rushmore we are rooting for them, even though the suspense is lacking. We’re not entirely sure what Hitchcock might make of it all. He’d want more danger and darkness perhaps. But Rice is a master of her craft and fans of the film will love this play as much as fans of ‘Wise Children’.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Alexandra Palace

★★★★

“This polished, paranormal staging rattles its chains as effectively as it warms the heart”

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Alexandra Palace

Reviewed on 26th November 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Mark Douet

Previously reviewed at this venue:

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Alexandra Palace Theatre

★★★★

“It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.”