A Tale of Two Christmas Carols

Image: David Wenham and the ensemble in A Christmas Carol in Melbourne. Photographer: Jeff Busby.

A hit when it was first published in 1843, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol shows no sign of slowing down. Major productions are on stage in Melbourne and Sydney during December 2022, starring David Wenham and John Bell as Scrooge. David Spicer speaks to the stars and creatives.

Charles Dickens relished the chance for public readings of A Christmas Carol, and thousands would flock to hear him. In the UK and US, he would perform staged readings, enthralling audiences with his accents, gestures and expressions. Pasting the pages of a copy of the novella into a scrap book, he left spaces in the margins for notes about stage directions, deleting and adding text along the way.

180 years later, new interpretations of A Christmas Carol are playing on stage at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne and Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre. One is a remount of the Old Vic production and the other a fresh adaption by Hillary Bell.

The Old Vic company’s Artistic Director Matthew Warchus commissioned a new adaptation that has been revived six times, with its New York outing winning 5 Tony Awards.

Image: John Bell and Valerie Bader in the Ensemble Theatre production. Photographer: Jaimi Joy.

Charles Dickens had a blank stage and a book to read from as his only prop for his live presentations of the story. By contrast, the director of the Melbourne season, Jamie Manton, describes the OId Vic production as literally having all the bells and whistles.

“The show is littered with Christmas carols and members of the company play handbells. It is a joyous production with snow falling, turkeys descending on bit lines and Brussel Sprouts on parachutes,” he said.

Each year the Old Vic Theatre in London is rearranged for the annual production - that includes a catwalk built down the middle of venue, which has been replicated in Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre.

“The intention is to represent the crossroads in a man’s life, giving him the opportunity to change his path. Above the stage is a row of lanterns. This is all about darkness turning to light. We use about 500 lanterns.”

The writer of the adaptation playing in Sydney, Hilary Bell, has the compact Ensemble Theatre and a cast of five to work with, but is keeping the cast just as busy as Charles Dickens was at his recitals.

“Nobody gets a moment’s rest! John (Bell) as Scrooge never leaves the stage; the others play numerous characters as well as handling narration, singing, playing musical instruments, puppeteering, transforming the set and creating a sonic world, (with) an almost constant underscore (of music).”

Image: The cast of the Ensemble Theatre production. Photographer: Jaimi Joy.

Hilary Bell believes that classics need updating

“The point of theatre is to cut through to the truth of audiences’ experience, which in the case of adaptations means blowing away their expectations of the classic. As soon as they get too comfortable with it, they stop listening.

“They need to recognise themselves and their world in the story being told, so updates, whether in the language, the design, music, or any other element, can be helpful in achieving this.”

Hilary is using the Crummles Family Theatrical Troupe, which she has borrowed from Nicholas Nickleby, as a ‘framing device’. The audience is invited into their home for a Christmas entertainment, where they are part of Dickens’ world.

“Once we enter the play proper, we find Bob Cratchit on a laptop and Scrooge in a suit, yet the language remains Dickensian. Our aim is to cut through the layers of Disneyesque sentimentality that have accrued over time to make the characters and concerns urgent and immediate.

“Dickens tells the story in a fluid, almost cinematic way, and I’ve kept that - we are swept across space and time in a twinkling via words, images, and music.”

Image: Jay James-Moody and Valerie Bader in the Ensemble Theatre production. Photographer: Jaimi Joy.

Hillary wrote the adaption tailored for her father John Bell – Australia’s foremost Shakespearean actor and director - now aged 81.

“We wanted a Scrooge who is recognisable in 2022 Sydney, someone with a heart of stone and an endless font of self-justification. There are plenty of role models – just turn on Sky News. John brings so much to the role: his incredible acting chops, his fierce intelligence, his sense of humour and sense of play, his ability to make thoughts clear and words ring.”

John Bell finds the character of Scrooge relatable.

“I can relate to someone who, nearing the end of his life, looks back and tallies his mistakes and resolves that it’s never too late to change,” he said.

“I have met a lot of very generous people in my time, and also quite a few who could give a lot more to the community but prefer to shut their eyes and ears to the needy around them.

“There is a growing inequality in many countries, including Australia, between those who have barely enough to survive and those who have more than they need … Dickens draws our attention to this and encourages generosity and compassion.

“Hilary’s adaptation is taut and witty and leans into Dickens’ social conscience. The music is original, avoids pastiche, but gives us a whiff of Victorian Music Hall.”

Image: The cast of the Ensemble Theatre production. Photographer: Jaimi Joy.

I could not resist the opportunity to ask John Bell what he thinks Dickens and Shakespeare have in common?

“They both cover the full spectrum of society - are concerned about justice and morality. Shakespeare explores in greater depth man’s capacity for evil and is never sentimental, as Dickens can sometimes be, especially in his portrayal of women.”

As it happens, A Christmas Carol references Hamlet in the first few pages.

“Yes, Dickens was a huge fan of Shakespeare and was inspired by him to employ a large canvas as well as injecting comedy into tragic situations.”

And what does he think are the big differences between the two writers?

“If (Shakespeare) was writing a tragedy, Scrooge would have destroyed himself, but in his final plays, Shakespeare finds redemption for everyone.”

Image: David Wenham and the ensemble in A Christmas Carol in Melbourne. Photographer: Jeff Busby.

Image: David Wenham in A Christmas Carol in Melbourne. Photographer: Jeff Busby.

Jamie Manton agrees that adaptations of classics need to reflect the time in which they are seen.

“Everyone has a version they are fond of. It’s important to take a fresh look to make it feel current,” he said.

The Old Vic production was written by Jack Thorne.

“The intention was to create a pub theatre type production where we are looking at the actors on stage to reflect on the human story, rather than going for a twee pretty Victorian set and windows. Jack’s adaptation has Scrooge front and centre of the story, with the ensemble of actors playing the rest of characters and narration. You get this sense of company and community which is beautiful,” said Manton.

“It has an incredible story of a man’s journey to enlightenment and redemption. A great line is ‘there is hope on any trajectory’.”

In the Melbourne season Debra Lawrance plays The Ghost of Christmas Past. Her character is the first of three ghosts to haunt Ebenezer Scrooge, to shake him out of his miserable existence and ‘Bah Humbug’ scepticism about Christmas rituals.

Image: A Christmas Carol in Melbourne - Debra Lawrance, Samantha Morley, Emily Nkomo. Photographer: Jeff Busby

The former Home and Away actress said she grew up reading and studying Dickens at school.

“Dickens was obviously a compassionate man. In his time of the 19^th century, he shone a light on (the plight of the) working class, child labour and kids being worked to death. Dickens’ serialised stories educated people without them knowing it,” she said.

She likens the three ghosts of Christmas to Scrooge’s subconscious.

“If Scrooge was having a dream and feeling guilty about his life, he would dream these things. I see a good part of Scrooge showing him what (good deeds) he has done and his first love. The entertainment is his reluctance to take this on board.”

The next visit, from The Ghost of Christmas Present, does not shake him either – until a vision of The Ghost of Christmas Future, who paints a picture of a miserable death, spurs his transformation.

Lawrance said she loves the beautiful use of language in the adaptation and is relishing having to sing and dance on stage for first time since drama school, as well as learning to play handbells.

The seasons of both plays run until just after Christmas.

Image: The cast of the Ensemble Theatre production. Photographer: Jaimi Joy.

John Bell says of his daughter, “Hilary has always been kindness itself, and Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without her.”

Hilary also reflects on what she loves about Christmas Day.

“We sometimes follow the Polish tradition from my mother’s side, of presents on Christmas Eve. Sometimes there’s a living room concert, where everyone performs – flute, saxophone, ukulele, songs, jokes, creaky old vaudeville routines. A tree, a swim, and a big lunch for friends and family.”

Click here to read our review of the Melbourne production.

Click here to read our review of the Ensemble production.

A Christmas Carol at the Ensemble Theatre is on stage until December 30, 2022.

A Christmas Carol plays at the Comedy Theatre Melbourne until December 29, 2022.

The Canberra Theatre is hosting Shake n Stir’s acclaimed production of A Christmas Carol from December 20 to 24.

The Melbourne Theatre Company is staging A Very Jewish Christmas Carol from November 14 to December 16, 2023. “Caulfield baker Elysheva Scroogeavitz is determined not to let anything get in the way of fulfilling customer demand for her Bubby’s famous Polish gingerbread. Not her family’s impending Chrismukkah celebrations; not her contractions and imminent labour; and certainly not the ghosts who’ve suddenly shown up in her kitchen.”