A Christmas Carol

Thoughts of Christmas arrived early in Wolverhampton and the Bilston  Company made the most of their opportunity to tell people about it.

The show opened with a freeze and then miserable Ebenezer Scrooge (Nicholas Sullivan) appeared and put an end to any frivolity and anticipated celebration. He showed no mercy or charity for anyone he met on the way home, he refused to dine with his nephew Fred (Sam Deakin) and wasn’t the least bit sympathetic to his clerk Bob Cratchit (Alistair Smith), Bob’s wife (Amy Frost) or his family. Despite this the Cratchit family were happy with their children but especially their ill son Tiny Tim (Joseph Dowen) and surrounded them with love.

Everyone knows this story and we soon encountered the ghost of Jacob Marley (Tim Jones), the spirits of Christmas Past, (Lydia Tidmarsh), Christmas Present (Jacob Kohli) and Christmas Yet to Come (Imogen Hall).

An interesting set, good props and lighting and some excellent singing from the principals with strong backing from the chorus. Dancing at the Fezziwig’s ball was spirited and Mr Fezziwig (Stephen Burton-Pye) and his wife (Alisons Inns) kept the dancers on their toes. Strong performances from all the principals and definitely a demanding one for Scrooge who never seemed to be off the stage.

Christmas morning and Scrooge wakes up to realise he hasn’t missed Christmas after-all. Thoroughly converted to the idea of celebrating he parts with money for the turkey and goes out giving money gifts and sweets to everyone, makes friends with his nephew Fred and his wife Sally (Paige Barratt), promises Bob a raise in pay and as it starts to snow the company join together to sing “Christmas Together” and of course we can’t leave out Tiny Tim’s famous remark “God Bless Us Every One”. This thought I am sure was echoed around the audience and we went home looking forward in anticipation to the Christmas Season.

Finally to show the charity side of Christmas giving it was announced that the company were collecting for “Acting for Others” a charity for ex-actors and members of the profession who had fallen on hard 

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