"A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story" Adapted by Mark Gatiss.
Bridging that gap between Halloween and Christmas with this production is a genius idea. I have seen quite a few productions of "A Christmas Carol", including the version staged at the Nottingham Playhouse back in 2021, and this, as with the 2021 production shows that with a sizable budget, a production of this calibre can be put on.
This is one of those plays that I could not wait to get home to put digit to type key to tell of the show I had seen.
In Mark Gatiss's adaptation we see a more rounded retelling of the story, stemming from when Marley and Scrooge were business partners and Marley's demise to the surprise revelation at the end of the story, which I won't tell you about but it is one of those light bulb moments that occur with just one sentence, and if you miss that sentence, you'll miss the revelation, as it is not expanded on.
Keith Allen plays Scrooge, and I'll be completely honest here, I've never really been a fan of the man. Being of the age to have seen Keith at the start of his sparkling comedy career, I was never a fan of his comedy, but over the years, that has all changed. I love Keith's acting and that is one reason why I was so looking forward to seeing Keith in the role of Scrooge. He didn't disappoint.
From the very start there was a lovely comedy tag team with Scrooge and Marley as they teased at Cratchit for wanting to spend the whole of Christmas day with his family; and even Marley's death was done with comedy swiftness.
Yes, I've seen Keith Allen on TV acting seriously, which is when I started to become a fan of the man, but that blending of the serious actor with his comedy roots helped create quite the perfect Scrooge for me, and I am a fully fledged Keith Allen fanatic.
Jacob Marley is played by Peter Forbes and while we got to see more of the deceased Marley than the living Marley, some productions I've seen only delivered the late Marley, the further down the deceased line we got, the more scarier he became.
Bob Cratchit is played by Edward Harrison. Always grateful to Scrooge for allowing him to put food on the family table by working long hours for little pay - some things do not change for some workers. Edward brings out that hard working but heart warming character in Cratchit, all the while giving the feeling that he is forever walking a tightrope with Scrooge, that is of course until Scrooge's change of heart.
Mrs Cratchit, who does not have the same feelings towards Scrooge as her husband does, is played by Rebecca Trehearn. A lovely vision of the Dickensian wife who is deeply proud of being able to feed her family, and worried about their culinary handiwork, as shown with her fretting over the Christmas Pudding.
There is a section when the Cratchit's are sitting down for their meal which is almost balletic, performed partly in slow motion in its' execution. Something that the Movement Director, Georgina Lamb, I imagine is very proud of as it's performed by the senior actors as well as the juniors in perfect unison.
There are two actors who play Edwin and Grace Cratchit; William Barker and Charlie Westlake take on Edwin and Madison Spencer-Oglorumua and Ava Jade Wolstenholme alternate as Grace. Tonight the roles were played by Charlie Westlake and Madison Spencer-Oglorumua.
It never fails to amazes me when young children take to the stage on a professional level as they are not fazed by the audience, the lights, the stage and everything else that goes off with a performance. This pair are cool, professional and look at complete ease on stage. Stars of the future.
Ryan Weston's Tiny Tim is older than in some presentations, but that is of no matter because Ryan's physical presentation of the role was just as effective as if it had been a younger actor. The age limit doesn't matter, the unease and pain in Ryan's face gave us all we needed to know to make us feel for him.
Bettrys Jones as the Ghost of Christmas Past cuts quite an eerie figure as she appears out of nowhere on Scrooge's bed. Dressed in a white hooded shroud like costume, she skipped around the stage at a fair rate as she took Ebeneezer back in time to see his past good times.
Joe Shire's Ghost Of Christmas Present is a grand entrance on a brightly coloured throne that he has to step down from, a throne that would not look out of place in a panto scene, and oh the theatricality of the role peppered with warnings of what was a possible future for Mr Hum.......Bug! Love the outfit which was pure glamour.
Leona Allen is Caroline, a woman who was in debt to Scrooge. She was shown to him by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. We see that when he dies (in the future) she is very happy and rejoices as she does not have to pay him.
James Backway plays Fred, Scrooge's nephew. Much like Bob Cratchit, Fred embodies the Christmas spirit with his generosity and kindness, both of which he expresses without expectation of receiving any such feelings in return, particularly from Scrooge.
Angelina Chudi plays Belle, who appears during the sequence where the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his early years. Here, we see that she was his fiancée, but she eventually broke off their engagement due to his growing obsession with money. 
Geoffrey Beevers is the Narrator and watch and listen out near the end for a revelation concerning his character!
All apart from Keith appear as other characters, well there are about fifty character's shoes to fill.
Directed by Adam Penford who I have always felt so comfortable with any production that he is involved in. Adam knows just what to do to get the best out of a production and cast. This reputation continues here. One thing that I noticed with this one is the incredible timing with sound and script delivery. Everything is so incredibly tight.
Paul Wills' set design is wonderfully Dahl-ish and a nightmare for health and safety I imagine. When you see the show, you'll see why!
The effects used are wonderful. From the quill on Marley's rostrum that rotated on its' own, the book that flew off of the lectern to the video back drops, and even the "physical" ghosts that invaded the theatre from all angles, this production gave me the chills for all the right reasons. The choice of the material used for the "ghosts" making them shimmer and fly and the video techniques that brought the ghost of Jacob Marley to the stage just leaves you wonderstruck!
The lighting design is by Phillip Gladwell and operated by Laura Wolczyk. It's decidedly dark, apart from when we're in the company of anyone that isn't Scrooge and Marley. the scarlet backlighting searing through the darkness presents a feeling of something hellish. The ice white lighting creates a ghostly shimmering which is highlighted when caught by the flying ghostly apparitions.
The sound design by Ella Wahlstrom. I've commented on the sharpness of the sound to light effects and the echo effects just go to add the unease of Scrooge's visitors. Some video design can be a touch on the grainy side, but the clarity of the design transported you to where it wanted you to be directed to. You even begin to feel cold when the snow starts to fall.
Musical Director for the uplifting, gorgeous Celtic style music is Tom Attwood.
The video design is by Nina Dunn and this added another layer to the magic of the production. At times I felt my jaw dropping open watching what was appearing before my eyes.
There is a also section when the Cratchit's are sitting down for their meal which is almost balletic, performed in slow motion in its' execution. Something that the Movement Director, Georgina Lamb, I imagine is very proud of as it's performed by the senior actors as well as the juniors in perfect unison.
The puppets in the production are designed by Matthew Forbes and are wonderfully creepy. Imagine some of the animated characters from the film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and that will give you an idea.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has always been one of my favourite pieces of literature and to see this classic (again) brought to wonderful life (or death) is just a joy, especially when it has been so wonderfully reimagined on stage and by this wonderful cast.
"A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story" is scary in parts, where it needs to be, and also a wonderful feel-good tale to get you in the mood for Christmas and is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 18 November. It's a show that will enthral all ages.
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