A Christmas Carol

Harbour Theatre are rounding of the year with this heart-warming new adaptation of A Christmas Carol, a large cast play that includes some singing and is a faithful and thoughtful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic.

A nicely finished single set serves multiple locales well, and it is atmospherically lit from a design by Rob Tagliaferri. Clever sound design from Penelope Colgan and Vanessa Gudgeon helps add tension. Transitions between scenes (and characters for that matter) are generally smooth, but there was a surprising amount of (almost literally) tripping over the furniture on opening night - which was surprising in a show where directors had obviously put much thought into the smooth flow.

The show is narrated by Charles Dickens and his friend John Foster, who are also fully fledged characters in their own right – played with depth by Michael Dornan and Mark Dyer. It was a shame that it was necessary for these two to double in other roles – as I feel that, despite their solid performances elsewhere, this drew away from the outside eye.

Andrew Govey gave a worthy performance in the central role of Scrooge – showing a great character journey throughout the show. He contrasted wonderfully with SJ Christiner’s Bob Cratchit, whose eternal optimism was a wonderful metaphor throughout – another strong performance.

A Christmas Carol relies on strong performances from its Ghosts, and this production did not disappoint. Mark Dyer gave gravitas to Jacob Marley, Andrea O’Donnell was a lovely fairy-like Ghost of Christmas Past, Karin Staflund brought humour and a lovely twinkle to the Ghost of Christmas Past while Max Leunig (also impressive as Fred) was an ominous and silent Ghost of Christmas Future.

Great to see so many young performers in this cast. Lewis Wagstaff stands out as a frail but never insipid Tiny Tim, in an impressive performance. Lovely work from the other Cratchit children who formed a believable family – Emily Nixon, Emily Teune, River Fitzhardinge, James Low and Sophia O’Donnell – all of whom also played other roles, and some lovely characters from Callan Emmerson including the well-known ‘boy’ from the final scene. 

In a large cast it is impossible to mention everyone, but Penelope Colgan is very strong as gentle but truthful Mrs Cratchit, and almost unrecognisable as a scheming laundress, while Gareth Bishop brings great joy to the role of Fezziwig. Great to see a large cast who are enthusiastic and motivated throughout and kudos to the team who co-ordinated hundreds of costumes.

An ideal family treat for this time of year, you would need to be a scrooge for this production of A Christmas Carol not to bring a smile to your face.

Kimberley Shaw