From now until Jan 4 at The Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 8NB. Tickets from £13 plus a £2.50 transaction fee apply per booking, recommended for ages 8+.
OUR VERDICT
In 2017, I wonder if the creative team behind The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol had any idea that the show would still be running a record-breaking eight years later. And not just running, but selling out year after year after year.
There is good reason for its success.
It’s a show that I look forward to every Christmas, and it never seems to lose any of its magic. In fact, it seems to get better and better as it becomes more and more rooted as a beloved tradition in the festive calendars of many.
The immersive magic starts before the action even begins: the beautifully ornate auditorium lends itself naturally to the show, and Rob Howell’s set design is ingenious. In the round and a mass of glowing lanterns (put to clever use throughout), it feels immediately atmospheric and intimate. Get there early to soak it up. There might even be a few mince pies on offer…
Adapted for the stage by writer Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Enola Holmes, His Dark Materials) and directed by The Old Vic’s artistic director Matthew Warchus, together the pair have created a uniquely moving version of Dickens’ enduring masterpiece, whilst managing to avoid too many twee Christmas clichés. Their carefully crafted production feels more haunting at times (it is a ghost story, after all), but this only makes the many moments of joy feel all the more acute.
Joining the who’s who list of names that have slipped into Scrooge’s now iconic red coat over the years is John Simm (Doctor Who, Life on Mars, Grace). Gruff and cynical but with a sprinkling of wry humour, he is perfectly suited to the role. His intense resistance to the lessons of the various visiting ghosts is palpable, but Simm smoothly transitions into painful vulnerability when the moment of change draws near.
There are difficult scenes with his abusive father (a menacing Mark Goldthorp) and hearts throughout the auditorium broke in two (mine included) when Scrooge, faced with his younger self (a charming Connor Wood), whispers “I do not want him to turn into me…”.
Thankfully, joyful relief quickly follows in the form of his glorious realisation, which Simm plays with a careful balance of jubilant energy and touching sincerity.
Alistair Parker returns as a perfect Fezziwig: jolly and generous. Rob Compton is a very lovable Bob Cratchit, and all three creatively designed ghosts (Julie Jupp, Jenny Fitzpatrick, and Georgina Sadler, who is also Little Fan) are enthralling – particularly Fitzpatrick’s bold and feisty Ghost of Christmas Present, also known as ‘Brenda’…
Juliette Crosbie’s playful, compassionate Belle is one the show’s greatest highlights. Kimmy Edwards is a characterful Mrs Crachitt – filled with charming modesty about her small goose.
Mark Goldthorp has huge presence as both Scrooge’s threatening father and old friend Marley, whilst Vinnie Stone’s touching Tiny Tim had everyone reaching for the tissues.
From bell ringing and merry dancing, to ghostly, funeral-esque processions and complex movement around the set, the company work together in such a pleasingly precise way. The overall effect is captivating and wonderfully immersive.
From Marley’s terrifying chains to the ghosts’ colourful patchwork dresses, Rob Howell’s imaginative, Victorian-inspired costume design is a masterstroke.
The music – a mixture of traditional carols and poignant bell ringing beautifully arranged by Christopher Nightingale – is another unique triumph. The moment when the dark silence following Scrooge’s epiphany is gradually interrupted by a soaring rendition of ‘See Amid the Winter Snow’ is the definition of uplifting.
What follows is a festive romp of falling snow, parachuting Brussels sprouts and declarations of love, not just for others but for life itself. And for Christmas, of course. It is irresistibly merry.
Few stories tug on the heartstrings like A Christmas Carol, and it feels just as relevant today as when Dickens wrote it back in 1843. It is a story of charity, human connection, choosing love, and the eternal possibility of change.
Thought-provoking and psychologically astute, the Old Vic’s version brims with heartfelt but not overly schmaltzy festive joy; enough, I suspect, to convert even the hardiest of bah humbugs. In the words of Belle in one of the show’s most touching scenes, when a reformed Scrooge goes to visit his past love: “change is within all of us. That’s why life is such a thrill’.
