REVIEW: A Christmas Carol at Sherman Theatre
The Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol is a globally beloved, but much recycled and time-worn tale. So what new energy could the Sherman Theatre breathe into it for the 2024 season?
The answer is an astonishing amount, with abundant portions of inventiveness, humour, and feel-good yuletide warmth.
That said, it's not a completely new revision. The show is a return of the successful 2021 production, which I didn't catch first time round, so can't comment on any differences.
It's suitable for everyone aged seven and above, and has been adapted by Gary Owen. We find ourselves landed in 1843 Cardiff, where money is all that miserable Ebbie Scrooge has. Ebbie, played again by the excellent Hannah McPake, embarks on the ghostly education about learning how to love.
The programme notes how Ebenezer was a common name for men and women of the 17th and 18th centuries, and it wasn't until around the time A Christmas Carol was first published that it became most often given to boys.
I had mild nerves about the scariness of the show, slightly for myself but mainly for my young daughter, recently shaken by a couple of scenes in Paddington In Peru. And this show is bold and emotionally challenging at times, laced with some heavy traditional kickers around workhouse shame, money, and death. Maybe take note of the 7-and-above guidance if your child is of borderline age.
But there are laughs aplenty, and the ghosts themselves are spectacular. A more fun and fabulous Ghost of Christmas Present you have certainly never seen, while the bombastic Ghost of Christmas Future comprehensively dropped open the young jaw sitting to my right. She was beaming and bouncing at the finale, and our car ride home was full of "do you remember that bit when" chatter, despite it being way past bedtime.
The remarkable cast of actor-musicians make the show come alive in a vibrant and always compelling way that just oozes charm. It includes Keiron Self, who returns for a 10th Sherman Theatre Christmas show, reprising his roles as Jacob Marley, Mr Fezziwig, and The Ghost of Christmas Future. But he is probably best for me as a bauble.
Musical composition and direction is a steady anchor that drives the show on. Actor-musicians interchange elegantly between multiple roles and instruments spanning cello, piano, guitars, saxophone, harp, drums, and likely many more I failed to spot. And there's one particular stand-out set of vocals.
The creative team of composers, designers, and sound specialists behind the show also deserve a good hand of applause.
Christmas productions at the Sherman Theatre have introduced kids in South Wales to theatre for over 40 years now. Last year's Hansel and Gretel heartwarmer has certainly lived fondly in our collective memory as a family.
In 2024, A Christmas Carol is presented alongside a new production of Little Red Riding Hood (in English) and Yr Hugan Fach Goch (in Welsh), supported by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. It will also tour south Wales.
This production of A Christmas Carol is certainly no turkey, although a large one does feature at the end. I urge you to part with some of the hard-earned coins, or accept a small reduction in some miserable digital numbers on a screen. Go see, and become absorbed in some delicious festive spirit.
A Christmas Carol runs at The Sherman Theatre until 4 January 2025. Ticket information is here or you can phone the box office 029 2064 6900.
Review by Mark Hawkins
Photos by Mark Douet
We received free tickets for this performance in exchange for an honest review.
Comentarios