Christmas Carol

This adaption of the much loved Christmas tale of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol by Lynn Brittney is faithful to the original book.   A wonderful little play that gives scope for a large cast, all with their own little cameos as the story unfolds around their families at Christmas.

Phil Cory gives a polished performance as the Narrator, who holds the storyline together smoothly.  Scrooge, is a huge role and  Neil Jackson played it with all the energy and vitality necessary to present the complex range of raw emotions that the role demanded and with unrelenting commitment. An evil, unhappy and selfish man who is shown the error of his ways by the visiting spirits and ends up grovelling on his knees for forgiveness.  Sam Broadley is Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s employee who is so grateful to Scrooge for giving him employment despite the bad treatment he receives. Bob along with his wife,  played by Mandy Williams and their young family all bond really well together. Their performance is both poignant and touching and played with empathy as they desperately try to put on a brave face for all their family despite their grave concerns for Tiny Tim, their son, here played by James Lovie.

We see the specters appearing to Scrooge in the form of the Ghost of Marley (Terry Palmer), the Ghost of Christmas Past (Ellie Hardwick), the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ian Quickfall),  and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come (Kat Girt). They show Scrooge the error of his ways predicting his demise if he does not make amends. There were numerous other supporting actors and younger children some of whom were performing on stage for the first time with Masque Players, all with their own individual personalities, ideal roles to give them confidence in performing in front of a supportive audience. Well done to you all.  

The set was plain and bare, depicting Scrooge’s office, the image of a dour and grim interior altered only  by props to create other locations, the changes being made effectively often whilst the action continued.  Good sound effects as the clock chimes tolled enhancing the feel of the play with costumes also complementing the production well.

All credit to Matt and Mel for a delightful and enjoyable evening. It was good to catch up with you all again and seeing old friends from both the cast and audience. Thank you for your warm welcome and hospitality, much appreciated by us both.

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