A Christmas Carol continues at the Charing Cross Theatre, London until 4 January 2014.
Charles Dickens’ transformative Christmas favourite A Christmas Carol – a show that’s no stranger to musical adaptation – gets a heartwarming new airing at the Charing Cross Theatre courtesy of Talkwood Productions. A relatively new group, Talkwood formed in 2008 and specialises in literary adaptations, citing CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll and Jules Verne among the sources of their recent shows. Their latest production sticks with this tradition, bringing the ‘gospel according to Dickens’ alive in a slick, joyous production that offers a refreshing and intelligent alternative to the season’s typically formulaic pantos.
Director – and Talkwood co-founder – Joshua Sills has already enjoyed success with the show, having rolled it out on a smaller scale last Christmas and, this year, taken it on a 21-day national UK tour. It’s culminated in a three-week run at the Charing Cross Theatre where the benefits of all the attention lavished on it can be clearly seen. Sills and co-adaptor Stephen Leask have distilled the novella down to its very essence and yet given it room to breathe as an all-singing, all-dancing musical with a heart of gold.
The brother and sister team of composer Patrick Rufey and lyricist Jessica augment the proceedings with a lovely selection of songs that, while quite simple musically and lyrically, effectively express the pathos of the original story and tug at the heartstrings. The songs’ simplicity also means that the performers don’t have to chew over complex form or knotty lyrics, making them the perfect expression of the source material, almost – dare I say it – as if Dickens had written them himself. MD Robert Wicks conducts the proceedings from the piano (located in the balcony), with the rest of the musical accompaniment provided in a backing track that, while lushly arranged, occasionally overwhelms the singers – but nothing that a few nights in the venue won’t iron out.
In the lead role is the mop-haired Stephen Emery, who does a sterling job of breathing life into Ebeneezer, despite being at least half the character’s age. As well as having a strong voice, he’s an engaging performer with more than enough charisma to hold the show together, and his transformation from misery to mirth is a joy. As Young Ebeneezer, stand-in Will Mulvey also shone, his duet with the fantastic Amanda Hootman as Belle (‘Share a Lifetime’) being a particular highlight of the night. Pedro Gardiner also deserves to be singled out for his multiple roles, but particularly for his jolly giant Ghost of Christmas Present, as does Gary Jerry as Bob Cratchit, and Emily Froggatt as the Ghost of Christmas Past. I even found myself – against form – enjoying the performances from the kids, with Ben Salter’s unbearably cute Tiny Tim melting everyone’s heart with his song ‘I Am Thankful For the Day’.
Mention should also be made of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, which – without giving too much away – relies on the ingenious use of a black Kabuki screen. Overall, the show’s very creative design (uncredited) makes the best use of the small Charing Cross Theatre stage, and choreographer James Houlbrooke keeps everyone moving around the often-cramped stage without anyone taking a tumble.
The words ‘perfect family show’ usually give me that humbug feeling, but I would urge anyone to see this delicious production – with or without the kids. It certainly deserves to be seen by a wider audience.
Craig Glenday
www.achristmascarolthemusical.co.uk
Readers may also be interested in:
Dickens Abridged – Arts Theatre
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.