'A Christmas Carol' at The King's Head - Review

Name of production :A CHRISTMAS CAROL Name of venue: The Kings Head Rating: four stars Running Time: 1hour 30 minutes without interval Running Dates: 10th Dec – Jan 4th

The sound of carol singing can be heard in the bar preceding one’s entry into the theatre. The cast are already working, singing and playing their hearts out. Most of them are actor/musicians and there is a small orchestra of portable instruments - violin, flute, clarinet etc who play us into the theatre and continue from time to time throughout the performance with the addition of less moveable items – piano and double bass. Joe Fredericks is musical director and he has done a great job drilling the cast into Rebecca Applin’s beautifully arranged harmonies. There are many amusing parodies on classics like Grieg’s “Anitra’s Dance” and Sullivans’s “The Sun whose rays” even a spirited rendering of “Land of Hope and Glory”

Phil Willmott has adapted this unusually lavish production of the old Christmas Story. He has got over the timeworn editions by inserting the character of Charles Dickens himself. Dickens is trying to sell his novella to his publisher – he wants red leather with gold lettering - and this is a demonstration in order to impress him. It also helps to have a narrator to move the story along when necessary. There are a few other innovations, the ghosts are unusually characterised. Christmas Past is Cinderella from the fairy tales of his youth, and Christmas future is the ghost of Tiny Tim. Marley’s Ghost appears first in the mirror and is then played by a giant puppet.

The set by Paul Burgess is warm and cosy - lots of broken brick work on stage, and plastic cobbles on the floor of the stage and auditorium. The result – along with Gary Page’s costumes is effective and full of atmosphere.

There are too many actors to mention – about twenty of them including two children playing the younger Cratchits. However Charlie Anson is a personable Dickens and the rest of the cast fill the multiplicity of roles with enthusiasm and versatility.

Above all it is the music and singing that makes this pantomime joyous and fun. Director Joe Fredericks has created some memorable pictures and the simple choreography by Natasha Khamjani is correct for the period and just enough to exploit the talents of the actors involved.

This is a show great for children and entertaining for grown ups. Perfect Christmas Fare.

ALINE WAITES