A Christmas Carol

The timeless story of A Christmas Carol is the perfect entertainment for a December evening, and with 29 named characters it is also perfect material for companies who want to give as many members as possible the opportunity to shine.

The stage was quite small but the set had been thought out to make good use of the space and gave the impression of the various locations throughout the story. Scrooge’s bedroom scene supported the appearance of the spirits very well. There were technical problems during the show, but the cast did not let this distract them from their performance.

Peter Oliver, as Dickens, introduced the story to the audience with a prologue, and then continued to steer us through the story.  We were taken to a busy street in London for the opening scene, and introduced to the cast of Vendors and children.

Taking on the mammoth role of Scrooge was Andy Oliver. Andy worked very hard and was on stage for almost the entire show.  He captured the transition from miserly skinflint to a beaming benefactor well, and he maintained his energy and character throughout.  The Cratchit family, headed up by Jason Waldock as Bob Cratchit, worked well together, and I particularly enjoyed their rendition of “Do as the Cratchits Do” and a special mention must be made of Charlie Lamb, as Tiny Tim, who stole hearts with his “God Bless”.

The visiting spirits (Brian Leach, Gemma Fowler, Sean Smith, Kelly Monahan) were all well played, and “Link by Link” with Marley and the tortured souls was particularly good.  I would also commend Kelly, as the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come, for performing on stilts.

Derek Crooks and Louise Wiegand as the Fezzywigs gave an energetic, big hearted and warm portrayal of these characters, and Cara Fowler, as Belle, gave a lovely rendition of “Heart of Gold”.  Her suitor, the young Ebenezer, played by Daniel Dryden, together with Scrooge, gave a poignant performance of the duet “Remember”.

There was good support from the other minor principals, in particular Richy Lennox-Petre, as Fred, and Debra Darke and Julie Carlin, who relished in their characters of Mrs Dibler and Mrs Filch.

The entire cast including the children looked like they were enjoying being part of the production, and this was particularly noticeable in the rousing finale number complete with snow!

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