Screwed - A Midlife Christmas Crisis

Thank you for inviting me to the press night for your production of Screwed a modern adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”. This adaptation by director Lara presented a modern take on the original and focused on the struggles that many people face, and how these are often heightened at Christmas. She presented the story of Scrooge with relatable issues that we face today, and with an important message to “remember that we never know what is going on behind another's front door and so shouldn't be so quick to judge or worse assume”. 

The director had clearly worked with the young cast to understand their characters and to develop these in the story and everyone looked confident on stage. Many of the cast had more than one role and these were nicely developed to be different. The story of Scrooge has a very important message and working together, Lara, Laura and cast expressed this very effectively. 

The set design was simple and minimalist with set pieces used to depict locations. Initially, the set was bleak looking which fitted the mood of the story, but as the mood changes, the team cleverly used decorations and coloured lighting effects to reflect the warmth of the changes. The costumes were also well thought out and I liked that the ‘Scrooge’ character was dressed in grey which worked well for his mood and character. Costumes were used to differentiate the characters ages and professions and worked well, and the Christmas party costumes were fabulous. really adding a flavour of colour and cheer to the story.

Well done to everyone for putting on this interesting take on A Christmas Carol. It was enjoyable to watch and thought provoking. I always enjoy watching youth group productions and seeing our actors of tomorrow as they start out and develop their craft under the watchful eye of their talented leaders. 

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