★★★★★

“Paul Hilton delivers a definitive Scrooge, embodying the character with razor sharp wit, aching pathos, and a raw blend of grit and despair”

We all know ‘A Christmas Carol’ inside out – right? This production proves otherwise, reworking the classic tale of ghosts and greed into a spellbinding tribute to flawed humanity. This spectacular show marries the finest stagecraft with true Christmas spirit, delivering joy, generosity and – for many – a tear or two.

It’s Christmas Eve and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge scorns the cheer stirring every heart but his own. That night, the ghost of Jacob Marley, his long dead associate, warns Scrooge to change his ways. Three more ghostly visitations reveal Scrooge’s tragic journey from hopeful boy to heartless creditor, driven by fear and abuse. Can he discover the courage to love at last?

This adaptation by Jack Thorne (of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ fame) premiered at the Old Vic in 2017, returning every year since. Its 2019 Broadway transfer was crowned with five Tony Award wins, so my expectations were high. And my, were they met!

Based on Dickens’ original novella, Thorne’s adaptation infuses redemption with real vulnerability. Scrooge is both humanised and haunted by an even darker past than Dickens imagined. At once victim and perpetrator, he emerges a richly complex figure portrayed with unsettling realism. His redemption arc isn’t romanticised either. After his Christmas epiphany, he rushes to tell lost love, Belle, he wishes he’d ‘done things differently’. Belle, however, cuts him short with a strikingly mature response: she’s content. Similarly, Scrooge’s manic Christmas party is transformed into a haunting provocation to follow through. It’s full of nuance and humanity, with achingly poignant moments that make me ugly cry more than once.

Under the direction of Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director of the Old Vic, and fluid movement by Lizzi Gee, unfolds a breathtaking ballet of people, props, and design. Staged in the round, the use of space is ingenious – aisles, auditorium and even air become part of the drama. Set pieces rise from the floor, lamps hover (or swing!) overhead, and every angle is considered. The performance is slick and seamless, each scene meticulously blocked and choreographed. Moments of stillness are chosen with care, creating space for genuine connection.

Christopher Nightingale’s Tony winning score weaves timeless Christmas carols and folk arrangements with satisfying ingenuity. Familiar strains take on new meaning: ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’ lands with knowing irony; ‘O Holy Night’ dramatically counterpoints Scrooge’s resistance to change. Perhaps my favourite element is the use of hand bells, their radiant brightness offering hope even at Scrooge’s lowest points.

Rob Howell’s set and costume design is breathtaking. Set pieces are revealed through ingenious mechanics, creating magical transitions. The immersive Christmas dinner is a theatrical event in its own right. Costumes use patchwork as a striking visual metaphor, symbolising life’s many experiences. Hugh Vanstone’s lighting design is a visual feast, deploying a perfectly synchronised array of lamps, spots, washes and effects. The lamp drop is a startling and spectacular masterstroke. Simon Baker’s sound design is superbly judged, creating a haunting and human soundscape.

This outstanding cast conveys remarkable warmth and depth. Paul Hilton delivers a definitive Scrooge, embodying the character with razor sharp wit, aching pathos, and a raw blend of grit and despair. Rob Compton’s buoyant charm and sharp comic timing lift Bob Cratchit, sparring effectively against Hilton’s spiky Scrooge. Matthew Durkan imbues Fred with sincerity and steadfast kinship. Lauren Jones gives Little Fan a youthful vitality that deepens into poignancy; Tanisha Spring is radiant as Belle, her hopeful spirit evolving into movingly mature acceptance. Both skilfully display vocal brilliance and emotional nuance. Olive Mac Mahon makes her professional stage debut as Tiny Tim, drawing tears with touching honesty.

The Old Vic’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ is an absolute must see. Aside from its theatrical brilliance, it also supports people living in poverty today. Few things capture the essence of Christmas more powerfully than that.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Watermill Theatre

★★★★★

“Never before has the emotional journey of the characters been portrayed with such intensity, sensitivity, joy, menace and clarity”

Originally conceived as a concert album, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s sung-through rock opera, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, has probably never had a night where it hasn’t been performed on a stage somewhere in the world since its Broadway premiere in 1971. Most people who see it nowadays have probably seen it multiple times before. No doubt a large-scale production. Paul Hart’s revival, using actor musicians, at the Watermill Theatre is extraordinarily intimate and immersive, but the impact is as huge. We emerge electrified and emotionally charged. This is an interpretation like you have never seen before.

The opening guitar riff is unmistakable. Gradually joined by flute, trombone, then cello it grows stealthily into the iconic ‘Overture’ and Judas’ number ‘Heaven on Their Minds’. Before we know it, ‘What’s the Buzz’ grasps the Motown vibe with wild abandon, stunning it with its stabs of horns. There is a carnival atmosphere. It is Gothic and sepulchral yet lives on the street. Urban and rural, Biblical and modern. Clubland but also the wilderness. There is no space between the performers and the audience, so we cannot help but be a part of the journey: an odyssey that is intimate, urgent, sexy and rebellious.

Depicting the last few days leading up to the death of Jesus, the musical looks at the events mainly through the eyes of Judas. Max Alexander-Taylor – as Judas – has the subversive energy of a punk musician, the voice of a Prog-Rock demi-God and the defiance and impetuosity of a true sceptic. His emotions flicker in his eyes and gestures before being fired from his electric guitar solos like bolts of lightning. Michael Kholwadia’s Jesus is stunningly beautiful in black eyeliner, with the aura of a jaded touring ‘superstar’ at the end of his tether, sick of being surrounded by yes-men. The chemistry between the two is electric. Making up the trio is Parisa Shahmir. They say that behind every great man is a woman. Mary stands by her man. Shahmir stands apart, and stands out too. Solid, strong and sassy; virtuous but oozing sex appeal, she soothes with a velvet voice, particularly when her rendition of ‘Everything’s Alright’ melts into just her and her guitar with an echoing, dreamy vocal.

But this is an ensemble production; each cast member an integral part of Hart’s ingenious staging. When Alexander-Taylor launches into ‘Damned for All Time/Blood Money’, simple movements evoke the walls closing in on the impossible choices Judas is forced to make. Anjali Mehra’s choreography is immediate and finely in tune with the nuances of the narrative while paying fine attention to detail. Similarly evocative are David Woodhead’s set and costume and Rory Beaton’s lighting design, both of which brim with inventive touches. Sound designer Tom Marshall has an impossible task, but the amalgam of voices, instruments and locations is spot on. We never miss a beat, a word, a stab of the horns or the subtlest strum of an acoustic guitar.

It is a futile task to single out performances where even the ensemble stands out, but mention has to be made of Olugbenga Adelekan as Caiaphas, whose voice can plumb the depths and reach the heights within a semi-quaver. Cool but dangerous he commands the space each time he claims the stage. Christian Edwards, as Pilate, also seizes our gaze, so you simply can’t take your eyes off him. ‘Pilate’s Dream’ is a… well… a dream of a song.

For Act Two we are outside in the Watermill’s grounds. What better way to embody the Garden of Gethsemane? Guards trumpet from the rooftops while Kholwadia’s voice soars over the treetops. As the sun goes down, we anticipate a riot. The apostles like Gothic revellers clash with the Roman soldiers like riot police, and we are caught in the crossfire before being ushered back inside.

‘King Herod’s Song’ is a hilarious, scandalous, risqué number with Samuel Morgan-Grahame holding fort as a bondage club host. Camp but menacing, he is an S&M king wandering onto the set of the Rocky Horror show while Anjali Mehra’s choreography comes to the fore with a sadistic, macabre and extremely funny routine.

But as we reach the final moments, the sheer strength of the show forces its way into the foreground with a poignancy that overshadows previous incarnations of this musical. Yet throughout there has still been space for occasional lightness of touch and humour that is essential, and inbuilt, into the story. At times it seems that Hart has a hot line direct to Lloyd Webber’s original intention.

Never before has the emotional journey of the characters been portrayed with such intensity, sensitivity, joy, menace and clarity. The stakes are high, emotionally and politically. And the talents and musicality are on a scale that is breathtaking. This show gets to the heart of the matter, and pierces our hearts too. It is an unmissable production – instantly recognisable as the classic that it is, but also like you have never seen before (as I have said before!).

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Old Vic

★★★★★

“Paul Hilton delivers a definitive Scrooge, embodying the character with razor sharp wit, aching pathos, and a raw blend of grit and despair”

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Old Vic

Reviewed on 25th November 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Manuel Harlan

Previously reviewed at this venue:

A CHRISTMAS

A CHRISTMAS

A CHRISTMAS

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Watermill Theatre

★★★★★

“Never before has the emotional journey of the characters been portrayed with such intensity, sensitivity, joy, menace and clarity”