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Review of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story at Birmingham Rep

Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol is a perennial favourite and over the years has been adapted countless times for television, film and here, with this adaptation by Mark Gatiss, subtitled A Ghost Story, a further stage version. Originally performed at the Nottingham Playhouse in 2022 before moving to London at the Alexandra Palace, and the same venues repeated the following year, its past success serves well for a further revival. Therefore for 2024, The Birmingham Rep has taken to staging their own production, with a mostly new cast including Matthew Cottle and Rufus Hound leading an excellent cast.

Cottle as Ebenezer Scrooge is excellent, often exhibiting a much more sprightly Scrooge that we would remember, and also, much funnier at times. Despite Gatiss remaining remarkably faithful to the original, the show, directed with excellent pace by Adam Penford mines more comedy than you might expect. Cottle's Scrooge remains without question evil, but in his delivery and mannerisms, the unexpected moments suddenly fill the audience with laughter.

In this production, Scrooge has a nice sparring opening scene with his old work colleague Jacob Marley before his demise, so, this allows Rufus Hound in the role a little extra before his destiny of chain burdens begin. This scene between the two is fabulous, totally sparky in delivery and gives the audience the potential to see that incredibly Scrooge is actually the better person of the two. Later as the ghostly Marley, Hound is oppressing, agonised and much the different character, creating a lovely moment showing his despair at how his life in death became due to his life during it.

There is an equally strong cast as well throughout the company. Grace Hogg-Robinson is a dancing and set climbing sprite of a Ghost of Christmas Past leading Scrooge through his life both before and after his love of money began, including his would be life with Belle, the love, briefly, of his youth, played delightfully by Kalifa Taylor. Of his past story, it is perhaps sad we do not learn why Scrooge changes so much. Here in one moment, he and Belle are to be married, and then in a instant, Belle is casting her ring back in Scrooge's face with no real inkling of why he has changed so much.

Mark Theodore is a commanding Ghost of Christmas Present, dragging Scrooge around the world he lives in and finding out the way people see him. Christmas Present also has a "magic dust" which enthuses those around him and this in part allows some of the excellent movement direction from Georgina Lamb to come to the fore, particularly during the Crachit's Christmas lunch. Theodore also, as do most of the cast, portray other characters through the story, and he is particular strong in the always crowd pleasing role of Fezziwig, and his leading of the dance is one of the highlights of the production.

Among the rest of the cast, Geoffrey Beevers is a delightful Narrator bridging scenes together with his calm presence to one corner of the stage and delivery of the true Dickensian language with style. Oscar Batterham is a pleasant, always generous and friendly Bob Cratchit, despite being both under the thumb of Scrooge and trying to feed both a full household while also coping with the sickly Tiny Tim, endearingly played by Ryan Weston. Indeed the cast is full of delightful, multiple performances to bring the story to life and no one disappoints.

Visually this version is a masterpiece, from the towering sets of filing cabinets of set designer Paul Wills alongside his equally great costume design, to the evocative sound from Ella Wahlström creating every tinkle of London and every scaring breath of ghostly form. Nina Dunn brings just the right amount of video design to the show without it overpowering the production. Also there are some superb puppets brought to life by designer Matthew Forbes, including some suitably creepy dolls that climb unrelenting up the Ghost of Christmas Present's jacket. Throughout all this, Adam Penford's brisk direction keeps both the actors and the story moving, allowing very little to slow proceedings.

A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story is a delight, perhaps not as groundbreakingly different as you might expect a writer such as Gatiss to create, seemingly penned in by his need to be so utterly faithful to the original rather than to bring his own spin on the story. However, what it does do, is give an old and new generation a chance once again see a true classic story of morality one the stage, and comes highly recommended.

A faithful and visually impressive version of a classic work.
⭐⭐⭐⭐


Performance reviewed: Wednesday 20th November 2024 at The Birmingham Rep Theatre.

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story plays at the Birmingham Rep Theatre until Sunday 5th January 2025.

For further details about the Birmingham Rep and to book tickets see their website at https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/

Production Photos: Ellie Kurttz


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