A (ONE MAN) CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens
Etcetera Theatre until 22 December 2017
‘… remarkable and thoroughly engaging’ ★★★★
In this one man show, adapted by Jud Charlton and Paolo Serra for the stage, there are all the well-loved characters as you might expect. Scrooge is his mean miserly self, whilst Bob Cratchit, his clerk, scribes in a room so cold that he must stop every now and then to warm his hands. On this cold winter day, with snow on the ground, there is just one lump of coal in the grate (no central heating here).
Scrooge turns down all attempts from his nephew to join the jolly Christmas celebrations. He also sneers with contempt when asked for alms for the poor. He sounds like a modern-day scrooge, refusing to help anyone because social services are there to do exactly that job. It isn’t long before Scrooge starts to learn a few lessons and the story unfolds just as we remember it with Tiny Tim, the ghost of his old business partner Marley, followed by more spooks of the past, present and future.
All this being performed by one actor, Jud Charlton, is quite a remarkable feat. Whilst Charlton is often ‘talking to himself’, we could not be aware of this because each character is brought to life fully formed. It helps that nearly all the script is dialogue which keeps the story vivid, with very few moments of narrative. The story is wonderfully clear, poignant with cutting humour usually at the expense of poor old Scrooge. There is little on the stage to help Charlton, but he can work wonders with a headband, a couple of torches, a coat and his nightwear. Very cleverly, it was the ghosts who were given substance, because they all appeared fully clothed.
There were so many surprises during the piece, which helped to keep the engagement during the one and half hour spectacle. The whole piece is excellently directed by Paolo Serra, with pace, precision and plenty of movement. The sound was also spot on with original music by Giorgio Buttazzo. It always enhanced the action.
Such an intense performance, was a delight to watch. Produced by “The Gastronomical Company” and “Il Sipario Strappato”, let us hope we shall see more of their work in the coming months. In the meantime, pop along to see Scrooge if you can, his journey is one to share with its thoroughly heart- warming ending. Just right for Christmas.
A (ONE MAN) CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Jud Charlton and Paolo Serra
ETCETERA THEATRE
265 Camden High Street
London NW1 7BU
(above the Oxford Arms)
15th to 22nd December 2017 (no show on Monday 18th);
at 7:00 pm (Sunday 17th December at 6:00pm)
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes (no interval)
Tickets: £11,50 (£9,50 concessions)
Tickets available at: http://www.etceteratheatre.com/ - 020 7482 4857
Reviewer Heather Jeffery is founder and editor of London Pub Theatres magazine www.londonpubtheatre.com (email for press releases: hjwrites@aol.com)
Formerly playwright and Artistic Director of Changing Spaces Theatre. Her credits include productions at Drayton Arms Theatre (Kensington), Old Red Lion Theatre (Islington), VAULT festival (Waterloo), St Paul’s Church (Covent Garden), Cockpit Theatre (Marylebone) and Midlands Arts Centre (Birmingham)