I didn’t feel jolly or remotely ready
for Christmas. I am bruised after months of heartache and festivities are
making me feel bitter and alone. Rather like Scrooge.
But I had very nicely been invited
along to the press night of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at The Rose Theatre, Kingston and so I dragged my gloomy self up the A3 to see if I could be ‘out-Scrooged.’
Firstly, may I say what a fantastic
theatre The Rose is; shame on me for living in Twickenham for years and never
having visited it before. It has a cosy,
yet cool, vibe – all mis-matched furniture, warehouse architecture and quirky
cafe. Think more Royal Court than local repertory theatre. It is warm and
welcoming (especially with the red carpet VIP treatment tonight) with people
piling into the grand auditorium. The stage is vast, rather like that of The
Olivier, with a 'groundlings' section where families settled in on red cushions.
The programme told me that A
Christmas Carol hasn’t been out of print for 172 years and after countless
adaptations (woo hoo for The Muppet one) we’d be forgiven for thinking ‘oh not
this again.’ But this production at The Rose is breathtaking and packed with
sentiment.
I was thrilled to see my Thenardier
from my last Les Mis contract and West End darling, Martin Ball, playing
Scrooge. There’s a reason why this man works so much – he’s brilliant. His exquisite
vocal technique effortlessly tackles Dickens’ prose with the right amount of
weight and humour. With such buzzing
ensemble scenes you could easily forget that Scrooge is watching, but
Ball is living every moment and his subtle reactions are heartbreaking.
He is supported by the very professional
Rose Youth Theatre (I saw the Red Team, marvellous, with a young Ebenezer who
was the spit of Robert Pattinson!) and a cast of actor-musicians, including Tomm
Coles who I saw this summer as Sowerberry in that brilliant Watermill production of Oliver! As I’ve blogged in the past, it really is the year of the actor-muso
and rightly so – they bring such an authentic quality to a production and I
marvel at their talent.
The scenes feel panoramic with
clever projections that create a murky and bleak Dickensian London. I enjoyed
the nod to Bentalls, all the details are there in this great design. The
ghostly appearances were made particularly effective through projection; Marley’s
entrance was truly terrifying and the ghost of Christmas present (an incredible
creation reminiscent of Bjork, all angles and innocence) was spectacular.
I don’t want to give too much away
and spoil the surprises. All I will say is that the end of Act 1 moved me to
tears, as did Scrooge’s arrival to his past where I could have danced with Christmas
delight (despite holding my breath and watching through tears!)
There’s a reason why this story is
retold every year and it is simply because it’s perfect. It has all the lessons
you need for a happy life; Christmas is for family, for love, life is an act of
will and The Rose does this story justice with an energetic and moving
production. Director, Ciaran McConville writes beautifully in his forward,
“Scrooge’s story illustrates that it’s never too late to change the world, nor our place in it...........this is the season for wise hearts and second chances.”
That is certainly my Christmas wish
to have a wise heart and a second chance. And I’m sure that we could all do
with a dose of A Christmas Carol to escape the world of David Cameron decisions
and news reports for two hours.
So whether your heart is broken,
bruised, delicate or confused this Christmas, I urge to warm it with this
production of A Christmas Carol. Let that be my Christmas present to you all!
