Christmas Carol: A Fairytale. God Bless Us Everyone

A Christmas Carol: A Fairytale, by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Piers Today and directed by Keith Railton. On at the Criterion Theatre, Coventry until 14 December 2024.

Review by Alison Manning.

I must confess that it was with some trepidation that I approached this adaptation of A Christmas Carol, knowing from the publicity that Scrooge had been replaced by his sister; the premise being that Ebenezer had suffered the early death that befell his sister Fan in the original book, and she in turn had married Jacob Marley and taken over the business after his death.

How would that work? Was it just tokenism? But I was pleasantly surprised, the lead character being Miss Scrooge (she reverts to her maiden name in her widowhood) adds a whole interesting dynamic, exploring the role of women in Victorian times and their limited rights, expectations and opportunities.

Christmas Carol: A Fairytale. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Theatre.

These were often overlooked by Charles Dickens himself whose female characters can tend towards the stereotypical or eccentric. For instance, the ghost of Christmas past goes back, not to visit Scrooge at school but to visit her at home whilst her brother Ebenezer is away at school and she is lonely and struggling to cope with her widowed father's troublesome drinking and money /debt issues, having to manage the household by herself. As well as dealing with these serious topics there is also great humour in this performance.

Puppets in Christmas Carol add an extra dimension. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Theatre.

Puppets play a large part in this production adding an extra visual element, as well as a certain amount of comedic value. Amongst their number are a talking dog and turkey, and an imaginary parrot. Also, Charles Dickens’ cat, played and puppeteered in a flowing, feline way by Jan Nightingale, takes on the role of the narrator, along with the two very much human cold and hungry urchins who are Want and Ignorance.

The Ghost of Christmas Past (Rowan McDonnell) is an embodiment of Fan’s candle, and is blown out by Fan in the same way. The Ghosts of Christmas Present and Christmas Future are both represented by large puppets, the former a version of Fan’s robe and the latter a silent headed form of her tattered bedsheets. The Ghost of Christmas Present has his own comedic mannerisms, such as his suggestions of meditation and hilltop retreats.

There's twists and turns in this adaptation. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Theatre.

The dramatic sound effects add to the atmosphere, enveloping us in it, although the stormy sounds at the start were so loud it was difficult to hear some of the initial exchanges. Hopefully this was just an opening night issue that will be ironed out in later shows.

The mock brickwork, double levelled set works well for the stark Victorian setting of the play. With movement of furniture, it serves as Scrooge’s office, the Cratchit’s house, Scrooge’s bedroom and countless other scenes. The monochrome and dark coloured costumes reflect the staid nature of Victorian England. The muted colours of Want and Ignorance’s costumes reflects their misery.

Also Fan initially wears a black dress whilst at work, perhaps reflecting her widowhood, which is contrasted with the white nightdress she puts on when she retires to bed and continues to wear whilst being visited by the spirits, perhaps symbolising the possibility of change for the future, and the loss of innocence from her past. Her final outfit (no spoilers) is also white and symbolises what she has become, with people commenting on how she looks different.

Great performances by the cast. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Theatre.

There are some great performances in this show, it is hard to single anyone out. Cathryn Bowler pulls off a convincing Fan Scrooge. Kelly Davidson and Paul Cribdon evoke sympathy as Want and Ignorance respectively, including their interactions with the audience at the start of the second half.

Although it is a fairly large cast of sixteen, the complexities of this story call for a wide range of characters so nearly everyone seamlessly takes on multiple roles. This too adds an extra dimension, creating thoughtful parallels, such as Young Fan and Ebeneezer Scrooge being played by the same actors who play Want and Ignorance, showing how easily their fates could have been interchangeable. Dean Sheridan deserves a particular shout out for his flexibility as he plays no less than seven roles, including the chained, troubled ghost of Jacob Marley who visits his widow, Fan.

Although this play does echo lots of the original story of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, there are many surprising twists, particularly towards the end which proves a delightful turning of our expectations on their heads. These proved, by turns, to be startling, incredulous, slightly bewildering and intensely hilarious. There was still a grounding in gritty reality, however, with an underlying reminder that want and ignorance are still around on our streets today. The closing carols, sung beautifully, really got the audience into the Christmas spirit and reminded us of the need for good will to all, and, to paraphrase Tiny Tim, for God to bless us everyone.

A Christmas Carol: A Fairytale Tale is on at the Criterion Theare, Earlsdon, Coventry, till 14 December. I believe tickets may be sold out but see if you can get yourself a cancellation and you can truly get into the Christmas spirit, with a feminist twist.

For more details see: https://criteriontheatre.co.uk/