|
|
|
|
|
Christmas Carol
Malvern Theatres
**** DICKENS’ famous novella, A Christmas
Carol, has arrived in Malvern full of belated seasonal charm and
innocence. This simple moral tale about Ebenezer Scrooge is
revived with musical and visual colour and runs till the end of the
week. As with the pantomime in recent weeks, the show involves a number
of local children to add youthful voices, enthusiasm and local interest. The term scrooge has passed into everyday
language to identify a miser and a killjoy, someone who stands aloof
from the celebrations and social events surrounding Christmas or other
such occasions. Ebenezer however experiences a series of
disturbing dreams that reveal the truth about himself – the ghost of his
former partner Marley, and the Spirits of Christmases past, present and
future expose to him how others view him, how selfish and truly
miserable he is. This results in his undergoing a thorough
conversion and the joyless and niggardly miser turns into a generous and
enthusiastic participant in the festivities of Christmas. As the visions
fade away, he is in time for Christmas present; he is able to make
changes in people’s lives for the better. This delightful tale is brought to life with
lively music and varied lighting by Creative Cow in a generally
traditional interpretation. The show ran at the Northcott Theatre in
Exeter over Christmas and New Year, and now runs for a week in Malvern. A talented musical team is involved. They
sing a number of Christmas favourites , including, unaccompanied, a
beautiful four-part rendering of Silent Night. The ceilidh-style jollity
with violin, guitar and percussion supported singing and dancing
delightfully. The central role of Ebenezer was played by Derek
Frood. He is a none-too-menacing presence who plays the role with a
certain lightness and humour. He is on stage a great deal, listening to
the revelations of the three Spirits but he manages to bring humour to
his responses by means of facial expression, the expressive use of the
eyebrows and his rich and beautiful voice. When necessary he becomes
physically exuberant too! Around him there is a cast of ensemble actors who
play a variety of roles. George Jennings particularly caught the eye
with a fresh sense of liveliness and energy; Edward Ferrow as Bob
Cratchit is a warm and sympathetic character; Katherine Senior switches
deftly from Bob’s wife to old hag and other roles. It is a talented and
multi-skilled team. The old and traditionally styled programme
outlines the complexities of designing sets and costumes. The set
portrays the exterior of cottages in the 19th Century with large clocks
depicting key times identified in the story, which provides a solid
backdrop for scenes which are then enriched by Scrooge’s bed, Cratchit’s
dining table and other props. These elements combine with the skilful
and varied use of dramatic lighting effects to produce an evening that
runs with a good deal of pace and variety. As the show ends we are
presented with a lovely and imposing Christmas tree as the cast wish us
a merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. This production is a faithful and traditional
interpretation of an old favourite while the local children bring a
freshness and lightness to the production. This is designed to add
appeal to children, so there are several matinees to enable children to
access the show. Perhaps because school terms have started, there were
no children in the theatre last night, but the adult audience were
thoroughly charmed and enthusiastic. To 16-01-16 Tim Crow
12-01-16
|
|
|
|
