Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Old Vic Theatre - Nov 2023

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic isn’t just a Yuletide play, and it’s not just a new tradition (there’s been a version of the same play running at the theatre since 2017); it’s an experience. Arriving at the theatre, the front is lit up in green with ‘A Christmas Carol’ shining in red above the door in big, bright lights; it couldn’t get more festive. Except it does – get seated and you’ll find Victorian merchants wandering around with satsumas and, joy of joys, warm mince pies, which are given away to the hungry hordes in a way that Ebeneezer Scrooge would certainly not approve of.

Then there’s the play itself. Written by Jack Thorne and directed by Matthew Warchus, this is a traditional re-telling of Dickens’ famous Christmas story with some lovely modern elements thrown in that make for perfect comic counterpoints when they appear – having the Ghost of Christmas Present (played by Gemma Knight Jones) call herself Brenda was genius, for example.

The set by Rob Howell is a simple one, with doorways that rise from the stage and flying lanterns, but it’s oh-so-effective, especially when combined with Hugh Vanstone’s lighting and the wonderful music – which includes many carols and a gorgeous finale of bell ringing to see you out into the crisp winter’s air – by Christopher Nightingale.

It all starts with the ensemble, decked out in traditional Victorian clothing by Rob Howell signing carols and ringing bells, moving about the stage – which is partly in the round and partly a catwalk that thrusts out into the audience – encouraging clapping and joining in. It’s a jolly start, but then someone wants a ghost story, and everything moves swiftly on from there. And it is swift; at 50 minutes for each half, some of the tale is cut (the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’s scenes are particularly short, focusing more of Scrooge’s sister’s ghost (played by Rose Shalloo), Little Fan, which gives the story much more warmth and much fewer scares, which is fine by us!), but with a story this well-known, it doesn’t really matter. The audience can fill in the blanks and with it being such a short version, it’s ideal for little children to sit through without getting bored, so if you’re looking for an alternative to a panto this year, A Christmas Carol would fit the bill.

Christopher Ecclestone plays Scrooge, and he does so in a gruff, growling way that truly shows him to be the nasty piece of work that he is. He turns away carol singers, he refuses to give a single penny to charity, and he makes poor Bob Cratchit (Rob Compton) go to Richmond to deliver a letter as a last task before he can go home for Christmas – a task that could have dire consequences, as we’ll soon learn. But as the play goes on, we see the shifts in Scrooge that the three ghosts who visit him bring about. He becomes lighter, warmer, happier, and even when his heart is broken by a former love, Belle (Frances McNamee), he smiles through it. It’s a performance to be savoured, and with the seating as it is, no one in the audience is going to miss a moment of Ecclestone’s impressive showmanship.

It seems unfair to single out a particular cast member when everyone is so polished and watchable, but Freddie Merrit as Tiny Tim is certainly a star – the audience adore him right away, and his final scene makes many people wipe their eyes and blow their noses, even though they knew the outcome could and would be changed.

There is so much joy in this play that it’s hard to choose a moment that’s better than the rest, although if pushed to, we would have to pick the final feast sequence. It’s clever, funny, and the audience participation raises the play to a whole new level – we don’t want to spoil it, but Brussels sprouts do rain from the sky, so be warned! That’s not the only thing that will fall on you either, but again – spoilers – and it’s better to be there to see and feel it than to be told about it. It’s the experience you see; this play is what Christmas should feel like, and it's something to keep in your heart all year long.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Lisamarie Lamb

A Christmas Carol plays at the Old Vic Theatre until 6 January, with tickets available here.