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A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens, adapted by Mike Brown

Review

‘A Christmas Carol’ is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound journey of redemption over the course of just one night. A financier and money-changer who has devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth, he holds anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love and particularly the Christmas season. But when on Christmas Eve he is visited by the dread ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, and subsequently by other spirits who show him what his life has been before and what a bitter fate lies ahead of him, he is forced to make a decision that will change his life, and all those around him…

Cast Details:

Narrator

Richard Lloyd

Ebeneezer Scrooge

Chris Argles

Bob Cratchit

Chris Strachan

Nephew

Chris Blakeney

Charitable Gentlemen

Tim Young, Steve North

The Ghost of Jacob Marley

Nick Foster

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Harriet Younger

Scrooge as a boy

Jonathan North

Valentine

Christopher Collis

Orson

Laurence Smyth

Scrooge’s sister

Emily Browne

Fezziwig

Tim Young

Scrooge as a young man

Luke Argles

Dick Wilkins

Mark Young

Young Scrooge’s fiancee

Heidi Bush

Husband

Chris Blakeney

Wife

Nicky Greene

Child

Victoria Collis

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Richard Lloyd

Ruffians

Mike Brown, Steve North

Mrs Cratchit

Jane Foster

Martha Cratchit

Lucy-Ann Martin

Peter Cratchit

Mark Young

Tiny Tim

Jonathan North

Cratchit children

Hannah Hornegold, Emily Browne, Phillippa-Jane Martin, Victoria Collis

Scrooge’s Nephew’s wife

Nicky Greene

Topper

Luke Argles

Topper’s lady friend

Heidi Bush

Party guests

Lucy-Ann Martin, Jane Simeone

Ignorance

Laurence Smyth

Want

Hannah Hornegold

The Ghost of Christmas Future

Mike Brown

Scavenging woman

Rosie Martin

Mrs Dilber

Penny Payne

Old Joe

Tim Young

Sea Captain

Steve North

His wife

Penny Simeone

Boy in street

Christopher Collis

Maid

Jane Simeone

Technical Crew Details:

Director

Mike Brown

Lighting

Maria New, Jonathan Wales

Audio narration, sound effects, and all music composed and played for this production by

Mark Taylor

Stage Management

Kevin Boot, Martin Coburn

Box Office

Tim Young, Julia Young

Photography

Mark Hobbs

Set Design, properties, and furniture

Mike Brown

Set construction

Kevin Boot, Steve North, Graham Payne, Chris Strachan, Martin Coburn

Paintshop

Richard Lloyd, Chris Argles, Penny Simeone, Heidi Bush

Wardrobe

Sheila Bird, Vanessa Buck, Rosie Martin, Helen Andreadis

Reviewed by Peter Steptoe for The Croydon Advertiser

This is the best amateur production that I have seen for some time: atmospheric; high production values; slick continuity; and a sincere appreciation of this masterpiece from Dickens.

The director Mike Brown superbly paced, positioned and marshalled his actors; a talented chap, clearly, as he is also responsible for the set design, properties and furniture. The music, composed and played by Mark Taylor, is in keeping with Brown’s vision for this play and with these two, Theatre Workshop Coulsdon has treasures to be cosseted.

This is a fine exhibition of ensemble playing by a cast of 24, with many playing more than one part. I loved this production because the director’s version of the story coincided exactly with the pictures created in my childhood.

The ghost of Jacob Marley, correct in saying “I wear the chains I forged in life, I made them link by link and yard by yard”, is greyly played by an elongated Nick Foster.

Ebeneezer Scrooge is a part that any actor worthy of the name would die for, and Chris Argles did him justice. Mind you, I have a sneaking liking for old Scrooge at the beginning, with the bit about the Poor Law, The Workhouse and the Treadmill, but Argles handled the transformation into Saint Ebeneezer without revulsion on my part.

I delighted in the scene when his nephew (Chris Blakeney) and the party guests indulged in the rapid fire “Yes/No” Christmas puzzle.

Harriett Younger is a spritely Christmas Past, and the thespian voiced Richard Lloyd is both an excellent Narrator and The Ghost of Christmas Present. I found the latter character, with the addition of strobe lighting indicating transportation, quite frightening.

Dickens was over-sentimental, we critics write, as we try to ignore the lump in our throats caused by crippled Tiny Tim (Johnathan North) and his down-trodden, loving Father, Bob Cratchit (Chris Strachan). What a swine Scrooge is but Mrs Cratchit (Jane Foster) did drink his health, if only reluctantly.

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