THE GREAT CHRISTMAS FEAST

The Lost Estate

★★★★★

“This sumptuous fusion of storytelling, theatre, music and feasting is second to none”

Charles Dickens was thirty-one when he sat down to write, in haste, the novella that would change, not just Christmas, but the whole world forever. “My purpose” he cited “is, in my small way, to awaken some loving and forbearing spirit in the world”. On a more practical level, it was a bid to stave off poverty and the threat of debtor’s prison. Dickens and his family were on the edge of financial ruin. Not wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, he sunk everything he had left into “A Christmas Carol”. This, and other accounts of Dickens’ restless and itinerant upbringing, are exhibited in the corridors as we enter the immersive, festive extravaganza that is “The Great Christmas Feast”.

It might be an oversimplified and melodramatic view of the historical fact, and indeed, The Lost Estate’s presentation adds a misty-eyed opulence and luxuriance that contradicts it. But, imagine that it is Christmas Eve, 1843, and you are an honoured guest in Charles Dickens’ parlour. You have been invited to hear him share his brand new ghostly festive story. Well, you don’t need to imagine. This world has been conjured up with enthralling, magical and thrilling theatrical effect behind an inconspicuous doorway in West Kensington. It might look like a doorway – but it is more like a portal. And the writer’s parlour is more like a Victorian Speakeasy before Speakeasies were even invented. Amid the decks of holly, the lanterns, the draped velvet and beautifully laid tables, we can also wander around and take in the more ramshackle settings of Dickens’ study, bedroom and drawing rooms before being shown our seats in the dining room. Surrounded by piles of books, oil lamps and decorations the feast begins – a sumptuous three-course Victorian Christmas menu, accompanied by an unstoppable flow of cocktails.

Unstoppable maybe, but not uninterrupted. Our host emerges onto the scene. David Alwyn is an enthralling Charles Dickens. Or rather Charlie, he implores. Alwyn also plays (except for a couple of cameos pulled from the audience) every character from the story. As he recites the fresh-off-the-press novel, he enters it, shifting between the parts with lightning speed and skill in a tour-de-force performance that soon makes us forget that this is a one man show. He is endearingly affable but teasingly risqué and irreverent as Dickens, before twisting himself into a crooked Scrooge. Defiantly jovial as Fred or Bob Cratchit one minute, he is then chillingly haunting as the spirits. And completely believable as everybody else. Already a master storyteller, Alwyn’s performance is held aloft by the setting and lighting and design. ‘Darling & Edge’ (of Gingerline and Secret Cinema fame) are responsible for creating the meticulously designed world with staggering attention to detail. Under Simon Pittman’s outstandingly slick direction, Alwyn interacts with the diners, flitting around the space, filling every inch with his charisma. Written and adapted by Adam Clifford, the narrative mixes plenty of modernisms into the text – which blend in just as deliciously as the ingredients of chef Ashley Clarke’s seasonal dishes.

But let’s not forget the live music accompaniment. Steffan Rees’ sublime score binds everything together, performed by Guy Button on violin, Beth Higham-Edwards on percussion and Charlotte Kaslin on cello. The music is the heartbeat that both drives the show and is led by it. Creating and reflecting the emotions and the themes, the words and music are a delicate duet, rising and falling in their interlocked crescendos and diminuendos.

Everything about this production is atmospheric. It is meticulous and mystical. Soul-stirring one minute and funny the next. It may be a rather long evening for some, but that’s what it’s all about. You get a three-course feast, and a show divided up between the courses, in a venue that would make many of London’s so-called exclusive eateries feel shoddy. From the outset, David Alwyn’s Dickens appears absolutely and ridiculously pleased to see us. From then on, we are as equally pleased to be there. This sumptuous fusion of storytelling, theatre, music and feasting is second to none. “The Great Christmas Feast” is the place to go to find the spirit of Christmas. It has been in the past, it is in the present and I’m sure it will be for many, many Christmases yet to come.