A Christmas Carol is
one of my absolute favourite stories of all time, and has had dozens,
maybe hundreds of adaptations for audio, stage and screen over the
centuries. Each version makes its own changes, some more faithful
than others, and each focuses on a different aspect of the original.
One
aspect that rarely gets enough focus, in my opinion, is the horror of
the story. A Christmas Carol is,
after all, first and foremost a ghost story, and Scrooge is terrified
for much of it. Thankfully, if unsurprisingly, Mark Gatiss is of the
same opinion, and his new stage adaptation of the classic ramps up
the spookiness.
Suz
and I managed to see this almost as late as we possibly could. First
it was delayed by a year due to Covid, but had it not been we might
not have had the chance to see it at all. We received the tickets as
a Christmas gift from my dad but were away most of the festive
season, we couldn't see it until January 8th,
the last Saturday of its run at Alexandra Palace and the penultimate
performance. Fortunately, it was a Christmassy enough production to
get us feeling festive all over again.
Ally
Pally is the perfect place to hold the play. The restored theatre in
the BBC's old flagship building is a wonderful venue for a Victorian
play, suitably atmospheric. We were also lucky to get front row
stalls, and although our seats were actually missing when we arrived,
they were some of the best in the house once they were returned to
their correct location. It's not surprising to see Gatiss tackle A
Christmas Carol, after multiple
adaptations of Victorian classics including Sherlock and
Dracula, sundry
Christmas ghost stories for the BBC and, of course, one of my
favourite episodes of modern Doctor Who,
“The Unquiet Dead,” which saw Dickens himself beset by
extraterrestrial ghosts on Christmas Eve. I wouldn't be at all
surpised to learn that he chose the venue specifically as well, after
he had the Doctor scale the transmission tower at Ally Pally in the
following season's “The Idiot's Lantern.” But I digress.
Anyone
else adapting the story and starring in it would cast themselves as
Scrooge himself, but Gatiss instead plays Jacob Marley, who was, as
we all know, dead to begin with. Except in this version he isn't, in
fact, thanks to a prologue scene in which Scrooge and Marley enjoy a
jolly game of humbug one-up-manship, one Christmas Eve before Marley
conks it at his desk. The book's biting sense of humour is present
throughout, not least Scrooge quickly extinguishing Marley's candle
noting “Waste not, want not.”
Nicholas
Farrell of The Crown and
Chariots of Fire makes
an excellent Scrooge, decked out in ragged and archaic dress even by
the standards of 1843. He's as cruel and miserly as they come to
begin with, but there's always an undercurrent of humour that makes
his gentler, earlier self, and his new beginnings, believably hidden
beneath. It's not long before the phantoms make themselves known,
with Gatiss manifesting a flamboyant and undulating Marley to deliver
upon Scrooge his warning. Elements of the story that are so often
often forgotten are included in this production, including the parade
of spirits that sweep Marley away. The various ghosts of the
production are given shape by a brilliant mixture of techniques:
holography, puppetry, lighting trick and remotely-operated props. As
is the tradition, most of the actors take on multiple roles, with
Gatiss appearing as sundry grotesques including Scrooge's
schoolmaster and even the Ghost of Christmas Future, revealed as
Marley once more beneath the cowl.
Before
this, of course, we get the two other main festive spirits. Christmas
Past, so often visualised as a young girl or occasionally an old man,
is in the original story a fluid, complex being manifesting at all
ages and genders simultaneously. Such a good move then, to cast the
charismatic non-binary actor Jo Eaton-Kent (recently seen in The
Watch and probably the best
thing in it), as comfortable playing cockney butchers and sailors as
they are a genderless spirit. Towering over Scrooge and as
threatening as they are angelic, the Ghost of Christmas Past
dominates their scenes even as we see Scrooge's past brought to life
vividly. The set, spartan but beautifully crafted, shifts to
accommodate the changing times and places.
The
Ghost of Christmas Present is portrayed by Joe Shire, who you may
recognise from Witness for the Prosecution or
heard in a number of Big Finish's audioplays. For integrity's sake I
have to say, I do know Joe a little, and so was particularly looking
forward to seeing him in the role. He is perfect as Christmas
Present, balancing the ghost's jolly persona with his underlying
anger and judgment. Another rarely included aspect, the lesser ghosts
of Want and Ignorance, are manifested under his robe, by way of two
creepy puppets operated by the youngest members of the cast. As well
as the ghost, Joe plays the ebulliant Fezziwig, leading a raucous
festive dance, along with various other parts of great range.
As
perfectly realised as the ghosts are, the whole cast is excellent and
make every scene captivating. Edward Harrison of Wolf Hall
is a charming Bob Cratchit, with
Sarah Ridgeway almost stealing the scene as Mrs Cratchit among other
roles. James Beckway is a forthright and cheerful nephew Fred, as
well as portraying the younger Scrooge, the up-and-coming
businessman. Zak Ford-Williams plays several roles as well, including
Tiny Tim and the younger Marley, impressively channelling the
optimism of the former and the grasping greed of the latter with
equal ease. The great Christopher Godwin (Amadeus)
acts as narrator, bringing essential parts of Dickens' prose to life,
and the eventual reveal of his actual identity is a beautiful touch.
Heartwarming
and chilling in equal measure, this was one of the best adaptations
of the story I have been fortunate enough to see.
