A Christmas Carol

I was delighted to attend the Harlequin Theatre for the first time to review their 2021 Christmas Production of the Charlies Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Adapted and directed by Laura Elizabeth, this version of the tale was entertaining throughout. Set in a traditional way, with tradition dress and lighting etc, this version was sympathetic to the original story. I love the production values of the added sound effects, set design, traditional costumes, and the lighting plot to give it that overall Georgian feel. The opening sequence of cast, dressed in their finery and singing traditional Christmas Carols (with added live accordion) was a great opening and one that captured to mood from the offset. I have to say, the overall staging of this play was brilliant, and the cast were very well rehearsed (which might’ve been problematic considering they had numerous last minute cast changes – damn you Covid!)

The lighting was basic in design, but apt. It gave an eery feel to the piece and helped add layers and single out special areas of the stage for focus. Some of the lighting cues were a little slow, with some lights coming on at the wrong times, however I doubt many of the audience would’ve noticed this.

The costumes were excellent. A lot of hard work has gone into these, which hasn’t gone unnoticed. Well done to Sue Curran and Laura Elizabeth for your obvious hard work!

I adored the sound cues and the way in which the sounds added layers to scenes. From the ticking clock to the instrumental music choices, everything seemed to fit perfectly, helping to establish tone and location.

Well done to directors Laura Elizabeth and Edward Green for putting together a great version of this classic play. Whilst there was a tiny bit too much talking in profile at times, the pace and storytelling from all, were excellent. I really liked the miming of props and the use of multirole. The audience were thoroughly entertained throughout!

The protagonist, Ebeneezer Scrooge was played by Adam Wade. Whilst I felt that some of the emotions were a little forced and less naturalistic and real, I liked Adam’s stage presence and the way in which he commanded the stage. He worked well with others and had good storytelling also.

Edward Green was good as Jacob Marley. His entrance from the back of the audience was suitably dramatic. Edward delivered his lines with great purpose and gravitas which helped convey the plot further. A commanding performance.

I loved Emily Duffy’s characterisation of the Ghost of Christmas Past. Emily had brilliant stage presence and commanded her scenes with Scrooge. A brilliant performance.

Rachel Perrin’s diction and projection was the Ghost of Christmas Present (and Mrs Fezziwig) was excellent! Rachel too has great stage presence and I look forward to seeing on stage again soon!

Bob Cratchit and his wife Martha Cratchit were brilliantly played by Mike Gallagher and Millicent MacKenzie. Both of these actors stood out (for all the right reasons) and were brilliantly cast in these roles. Both gave excellent and very believable performances! Well done!

Most of the narrators told the story very well and helped convey the plot. There were one or two who lacked a little projection but equally there were three or four who were brilliant! I have to say, everyone’s diction and storytelling were great!

There are far too many other characters for me to mention in this review, but all played their part and helped with the overall piece. All were very well rehearsed and gave good performances. One or two were a little contemporary in their movements and gestures which stood out a little in this period piece, but again, I highly doubt anyone else in the audience noticed this.

I sincerely thank Harlequin Theatre Players Club for their invitation, and I very much look forward to returning to this hidden gem of a theatre! I wish this society all the very best for their 2022 season.

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