A Christmas Carol – The Musical – Blackpool Opera House

Paul Nicholas and the cast of A Christmas Carol – The Musical at the Opera House, Winter Gardens Blackpool

A Christmas Carol – The Musical continues at Blackpool Opera House until 3 January 2016.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Can two into one really go? Traditionally Blackpool Grand Theatre has monopolised the festive fare but this year the Opera House has raised the ante with a show of its own.

As long as former business partners Martin Dodd and Peter Frosdick keep a gentleman’s agreement of a panto at the Grand (900-ish seats) and a musical at the Opera House (capacity 3,000) things should be alright – both have already announced next year’s offerings and tickets are already on sale (Aladdin and Great Expectations by the way).

As a debut, this year’s American import is pure apple pie rather than custard pies so for the time being there should be room for them both. Oh yes there is.

A Christmas Carol comes with an ‘A’ list creative team – music by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid), book by Mike Ockrent (Crazy For You, Me and My Girl) and Lynn Ahrens – so it’s more a Pixar idea of Dickensian London, but underneath the heartstring-tugging sentiment and ‘cor blimey guv’nor’ chorus, at around two hours it’s a colourful and fast-moving slice of seasonal fun.

Paul Nicholas is an unusually dapper Scrooge, looking more like a shares trader than a miserly old curmudgeon – particularly when teamed with the young Marley (Will Keith). Dead Marley (Christopher Howell) is a much more sinister kettle of fish.

But Nicholas still brings lashings of charisma to any role and has one of the most distinctive voices around.

Blackpool-based musical director Andy Mudd provides such a seamless score it actually sounds like backing tracks – but isn’t. Fellow entertainer and former Legends compere Tom Bright may be celebrating half a century in showbusiness but clearly still enjoys taking to the stage as part joker, part song and dance man – particularly on the showstopping piece of Americana – ‘Abundance and Charity’. Shame his robes look a little jaded though.

There is good support from the likes of Laura Benazaize as an unfeasibly pretty Emily – and she sings well too, Daniel Cane as the infuriatingly optimistic Bob Cratchit, Steve Varnom as jolly Fezziwig and Corrine Priest stepping straight out of panto’s Good Fairy books as a delightful Ghost of Christmas Past.

Production numbers work very well – notably Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Ball – with the large cast making the most of the big stage area.

There’s top-rated sound too from Arran Culpan and Jo McShane’s choreography is excellent.

John Carrick

www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk