Stage Review - A Christmas Carol at Derby Theatre

pictured: Gareth Williams (Scrooge) and James McLean (The Ghost of Christmas present - ghost 2)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Christmas Carol was published as a novella in 1843. This stage adaptation by Neil Duffield sees the storylines tightly clipped, therefore, has no long and drawn-out narration nor scenes that have endless dialogue.

This is one of two family shows this Christmas 2019 by Derby Theatre, and Oliver O’Shea clearly and intuitively has the enjoyment of young children in mind in his direction of this Dicken’s classic, and with members of the theatre’s Young Company performing alongside the professionals it is truly inspirational.

The ensemble cast, in their changing costumes, musically perform a number of traditional Christmas carols. These intermingle with the speech and brings about a special charm, providing the more captivating moments. Not all musical tone is super sweet and not all top notes are reached, however, nearing the end of Act I for example, when Scrooge (Gareth Williams) is in the skies with Ghost 2 (James McLean) looking down on the town while ‘Wassail Wassail’ is performed...well, the whole scene is quite breath-taking! In Act II a ‘Silent Night’ rendition is also outstanding.

The cast spearhead their way through. There are no gimmicks here; this is a production that is classily presented, as is the story, in traditional Christmassy ways. 

Any audience, and any that might represent the widest demographic, should not go along expecting to see a production that is in any way imposing, but know what they will enjoy is a credible, straightforward, interpretation of this timeless tale.

At Derby Theatre until 4 January 2020

**ENDS**

Review by theatre critic, Debra Hall who attended the press night performance of A Christmas Carol at Derby Theatre on 03 December 2019