Scrooge the Musical

This musical version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, was the perfect choice of festive show for this talented group to display not only their acting but also their singing abilities. The 23 musical numbers were flawlessly delivered by the cast of 19 adults and 9 children. Among my favourites were “Father Christmas” led by the character Tom Jenkins, the jolly “December the Twenty-Fifth” led by the characters Mr & Mrs Fezziwig and the rollicking “Thank You Very Much” again led by the character Tom Jenkins. The undoubted star of the show was Nicholas Nicol in the eponymous role of Scrooge. He was never off stage and with his excellent acting, facial expressions and singing, (especially in the more reflective numbers “You, You” and “A Better Life”) brought out every nuance of the comedy and pathos in the character. The ghostly apparitions were strongly played by Trevor Nicol as the chain rattling Jacob Marley, Aileen Hendry as the Ghost of Christmas Past with a delightful rendition of “Love While You Can”, Ben Senior as a Grim Reaper-ish Ghost of Christmas Yet-to Come and Steven Kelly as a larger-than-life Ghost of Christmas Present and his duet with Scrooge “I Like Life” was a jolly finale to Act 1. Other strong players were Scott Crichton as Bob Cratchit and Fiona McDonald as his wife Ethel. A true scene stealer was young Jamie Chisholm as Tiny Tim with his rendition of the melancholic “The Beautiful Day”. T J Cameron and Luna Rose made a delightful pairing as Young Ebenezer/ Nephew Harry and Isabel (Scrooge’s true love)/ Helen (Harry’s wife). Strong support was given by Tom Masterton (Tom Jenkins) and Brian Howlett and Jenni Lomax (Mr & Mrs Fezziwig). London’s Cheapside of the Victorian period was beautifully represented by Allen Perrin’s cleverly designed set which transformed seamlessly between street scenes and the various interiors. The costuming was true to the period and was spot on for both the principals and ensemble. Congratulations to everyone involved for a superb show.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.