'A Christmas Carol' at The Old Vic

This evening was another Christmas in a visit to The Old Vic to see the new version of 'A Christmas Carol' which is one of my favourite stories so I can't help but be a harsh judge of any production of it. The problem in trying to do a blog is that The Old Vic asked visitors not to share the many surprises and moments of wonder in the show so we don't spoil it for others. I'll do my best to avoid spoilers and only mention anything that's already been mentioned in reviews.

The first surprise was entering the auditorium to see it split in half by a runway from the stage to the back of the stalls. I knew there were seats on stage but the auditorium has virtually been remodelled for this show. In various places around the auditorium (and, I assume, in the circle) were actors dressed as market traders handing out oranges and mince pies to any who wanted them. I thought that was a lovely touch for the season.

With no scenery and minimal props it's quite an accolade to consider how the acting and the imaginative lighting created such a warm spectacle and drew the audience into its magic. I loved the hundreds of lanterns suspected above the stage to help create the atmosphere. The first 'wow' moment for me was when Marley walked onto the runway and proceeded to walk the length of the stalls dragging behind him a huge chain that went on and on and on - dead spooky!

It's not perfect and there are downsides to this new version. Too much is made up! Surely everyone knows that we never meet Scrooge's dad, that Mr Fezziwig wasn't an undertaker, that no-one made eulogies over Scrooge's coffin and that Scrooge celebrates Christmas at his nephew's house not with the Cratchits. It's not rocket science guys, there's a book where the story is all written down for you. I know you can't have all the story on stage but why make up so much when there's already a perfect story to explore?

Anyway, leaving that to one side (I *am* an 'A Christmas Carol' purist after all) there's more than enough magic in the show - and not a little daftness in the second half - to make it a magical experience. There was when .... um and then there was when ... and then, um.... No, I won't spoil it for you, you need to see it for yourself. I can tell you that snow erupts over the stalls to gasps of wonder, excitement and surprise (I got snowed on so was happy). It was also nice to hear so many Christmas carols woven into the story. I liked hearing sentences from the book spoken every now and then, mainly by the chorus.

Rhys Ifans was good as Scrooge, a bit mean to start off with (of course) and gradually finding his comic bone as the play progressed. It's clearly a star vehicle for him but he played it as part of an ensemble cast that took all the other parts, changing roles and costumes every few minutes. They were excellent and I wouldn't single any of them out as ether particularly good or bad - they were a solid cast.

By the end of the play we see the truth in Dickens' words that close the story in that, "...it was always said of him [Scrooge], that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge." Mr Scrooge is surely the Spirit of Christmas. I loved it and bought the programme.

'A Christmas Carol' at the Noel Coward Theatre

'A Christmas Carol' is a *must* in the run-up to Christmas - read it, watch it or listen to it. For the last could of years I've attended a reading of the great book at Queen Elizabeth Hall but this year sees the production of a new stage version at the Noel Coward Theatre so I booked tickets to see it straight away. It's being sold on the back of Jim Broadbent as Mr Scrooge, with posters all over the place,  so a lot is riding on his shoulders.

The play is 'based on' rather than a full stage adaptation of the book, so there are bits  where I couldn't help but think 'this isn't in the book' or 'it doesn't happen like that'. That was a bit diverting at times and being too purist doesn't really add to the experience. Using puppets to show the Cratchets in their scenes saved in having lots of actors in a tight space but I didn't really like it. But then I learned to let go and go with the play as it unfolded in front of me, rather than with my memories of the book.

I like the stage setting of the front being decorated like a Victorian Christmas card and the main set being a big book that rotated to show different backgrounds to the scenes, which I thought was a lovely idea. It rather cut back on space on the stage that meant it felt a bit cramped at times, but it broadly worked. Having the puppeteers come on with spare legs to mimic the flying sequences was quite fun in a daft way, particularly when they were little baby legs for the Ghost of Christmas Present section.

It's a small cast but I particularly liked Samantha Spiro in her best Barbara Windsor impression for the Ghost of Christ has Present, slapping Scrooge around and chasing him with strobe lights taking us back to a reverse Benny Hill. I also liked Amelia Bullmore as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge's mother. And, of course, it was great to see Jim Broadbent on stage for the first time. He's been around for a long time but I hadn't seen him before, but he gave a lovely, warm performance that made me smile.

I'm pleased I saw this in the run-up to the big day - it's on for another few weeks so there's still time to see it.