Tag Archives: Ruth Ollman

Christmas Carol – A Fairy Tale

★★★★

Wilton’s Music Hall

Christmas Carol - A Fairy Tale

Christmas Carol – A Fairy Tale

Wilton’s Music Hall

Reviewed – 5th December 2019

★★★★

 

“The magical combination of Christmas Carol and Wilton’s Music Hall makes this the ideal Christmas show”

 

A Christmas Carol is an extremely popular festive tale first told by Charles Dickens in 1843 (and best told by the Muppets in 1992). Piers Torday’s interpretation, which replaces Ebenezer Scrooge with his younger sister Fan, is a worthy edition to this canon, and a refreshing take on an old classic.

This alternate universe Christmas Carol has much in common with the original. Fan is a cold-hearted moneylender who, on Christmas Eve, is visited by three spirits in a plea to make her change her ways. But Fan, being female, has a different life to Ebenezer (who, in this story, dies young, much like Fan Scrooge does in the original). Whilst her brother is sent away to school, she keeps house for their alcoholic father. Fulfilling employment is soon cut short, and work gives way for marriage to Jacob Marley. When Marley dies, Fan, angered by the way patriarchal society has reduced her to nothing more than her husband’s property, takes over his business and runs it with a ruthlessness that makes her the richest (and most hated) woman in London.

Torday uses Fan to explore how Victorian women were shaped by social constraints. What would Scrooge have been like had he been female? The conclusion seems to be that he would have been just as tough, if not tougher. Fan’s complaint that her husband, by law, owned both her and her property is just a small glimpse into the laws and customs that held Victorian women back. When young Fan asks her brother what she will be when they grow up, his response – ‘a music teacher… or a governess, or a wife… it doesn’t matter, really’ – is a clear disappointment for such an intelligent and tenacious girl. This makes her more likeable than Ebenezer was in the original, easier to connect with. And, although this theme is sometimes handled clumsily, it is nonetheless engaging.

Above all, however, this show is a lot of fun. The script is silly and witty; it has the feeling of a panto without actually being one. The cast is faultless. Each actor excels in multiple roles, ranging from humans to spirits to animals. Sally Dexter’s performance as Scrooge is, by turns, humorous and heart-breaking: she clearly projects Torday’s message about Victorian women in an emotive and persuasive manner. Yana Penrose, playing Meagre the Cat, also deserves special mention for guiding us through the story as a puppeteer/narrator.

The fun, festive aspect of the show is accelerated by the space of Wilton’s Music Hall, which is used to great effect. The multiple set changes are smooth and impressive, whilst the Christmas decorations in the final scene make the conclusion all the more heart-warming.

The magical combination of Christmas Carol and Wilton’s Music Hall makes this the ideal Christmas show. And, whilst I am willing to die on the hill that the Muppets did it best, Christmas Carol comes pretty damn close.

 

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by  Nobby Clark

 


Christmas Carol – A Fairy Tale

Wilton’s Music Hall until 4th January

 

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:
The Box of Delights | ★★★★ | December 2018
Dad’s Army Radio Hour | ★★★★ | January 2019
The Good, The Bad And The Fifty | ★★★★ | February 2019
The Pirates Of Penzance | ★★★★ | February 2019
The Shape Of the Pain | ★★★★★ | March 2019
The Talented Mr Ripley | ★★★★ | May 2019
The Sweet Science Of Bruising | ★★★★ | June 2019
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story | ★★★★★ | September 2019
This Is Not Right | ★★★★ | October 2019
Much Ado About Nothing | ★★★★ | November 2019

 

Click here to see our most recent reviews

 

Review of The Turn of the Screw – 4 Stars

Screw

The Turn of the Screw

Omnibus Theatre

Reviewed – 8th December 2017

★★★★

“a piece of theatre which is both hauntingly familiar yet timeless”

 

Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, first published in 1897, is a story that captures the zeitgeist of the late 19th Century. An era charmed by superstition, madness, and the early writings of Sigmund Freud, James’ novella is a tale of a house held together by belief, seduction, and childhood secrets. An unnamed governess travels to a country house to take care of two children, Flora and Miles, but soon shadows from the past return to disturb the idyllic setting.

Screw

Jeffrey Hatcher’s excellent adaptation, Directed by James O’Donnell, draws on the universal themes of innocence and corruption, and childhood terrors, creating a piece of theatre which is both hauntingly familiar yet timeless. On entering Omnibus Theatre’s intimate black box space the audience is confronted with a lone wingbacked armchair and a bookcase of old tomes, the set of all good storytelling, instantly drawing the audience in and setting the moody tone of the piece. The style of this minimalist set (Paul Lloyd), combined with simple yet sympathetic spotlighting (Simon Gethin Thomas), is sensitive to the era and allows focus for the naturalistic performances to shine through.

This two-hander is performed by Ruth Ollman, playing the Governess, and Nick Danan who skilfully takes on the roles of Master, Housekeeper, and the child Miles. Ollman gives a strong yet understated performance, lending the Governess a captivating and curious stillness. Despite scenes of heightened emotionality she never loses the audience by venturing into the realms of melodrama. Danan is mesmerising to watch, flawlessly flitting between the sweet and retiring Housekeeper and the seemingly sinister Miles, providing the audience with genuine chills. These transitions allow for the suspense to build and for tensions to be broken, giving the audience fleeting moments of psychological relief. The pair’s ability to add flashes of humour also provides contrast and lightness to this otherwise dark and troubling tale. Despite a few fumbled lines both actors gave compelling performances, using James’ lyrical language and a diary entry structure to lead the audience seamlessly through the twisted plot.

With a timeless tale, subtle staging and captivating performances, Strange Fish Theatre Company have produced a wickedly good yarn for modern day audiences.

 

Reviewed by Matthew Arthur

Photography by Simon Gethin Thomas

 

Omnibus Theatre

 

The Turn of the Screw

is at the Omnibus Theatre until 16th December

 

 

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com