Review: A Christmas Carol, The Watermill Theatre
As this crazy year draws to an end, we are all in need of something special to lift our spirits this Christmas. A Christmas Carol at The Watermill Theatre certainly gives you four spirits for the price of one in the form of Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet To Come! I’m sure other spirits are available at the bar upon request!
The story of Ebenezer Scrooge is a festive favourite amongst many, and I certainly don’t think my Christmas would be complete without the annual re-telling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale.
This was my first visit to the quirky Watermill Theatre in Berkshire and it certainly lived up to its reputation. It is a small theatre but idyllic, quaint and has an incredibly cosy ambience - perfect for this time of year. We all know that the ongoing rules and regulations of the global pandemic have thrown many curveballs into our theatrical world, but I must compliment the theatre staff for making it happen by introducing social-distancing in the auditorium and one-way systems - it certainly seemed to work well and it wasn’t in the slightest intrusive on our experience.
The magic of this production was created by two actors who cleverly played all of the parts between them. I’d never seen A Christmas Carol done this way before, however I must say, I thought it was rather splendid! I’d lost count at how many characters the actors played by the interval, and it was undoubtedly the interchanging of various clothing accessories and the adaptive dialect and accents which created the magic of this production. An added bonus was that the actors were highly skilled musicians as well, playing the piano, violin and clarinet. So, I guess you could say they were the orchestra as well? A quadruple threat as opposed to a triple!
Pete Ashmore (Scrooge) and Tilly Mae-Millbrook (Narrator) are a tour de force and a dynamic duo worthy of any West-End stage. Not only did they complement the style of the production, but they complimented each other as performers. Both actors told the classic tale with emotion and precision. It was a joy to watch them.
Behind every great production is a team of un-sung heroes. Director Georgie Straight has taken Danielle Pearson’s adaptation and transformed it into a theatrical masterpiece. Under current circumstances, that is by no means an easy feat! Also worthy of mention are Tom Marshall & Harry Armytage who created the perfect ambience of Victorian London through their clever use of lighting, sound and special effects.
I think it just goes to show that the best things come in small packages. The Watermill Theatre’s A Christmas Carol certainly gets my vote as the show you need to see this Christmas! There is absolutely nothing “Bah Humbug” about this production.
***** Five Stars
Reviewed by: Ryan Bishop