REVIEW: A Christmas Carol – adaptation by Jack Thorne, Old Vic production


The story of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is embedded in Western culture. From its somewhat biographical beginnings (Dickens’ father, John, was thrown into debtors’ prison, forcing 12-year-old Charles to pawn his collection of books and leave school), the story has been adapted and remixed and paid homage to in every conceivable medium.

When I was growing up, I was exposed to the story through three different adaptations: A Christmas Carol (1984), starring George C Scott; Scrooge (1970), a musical with Albert Finney; and An American Christmas Carol (1979), with the Fonz, I mean, Henry Winkler.

But the premise – a curmudgeon’s outlook is changed by “three ghosts” – appeared in episodes of Bewitched, Alice, Family Ties, Fame, up through Quantum Leap, Northern Exposure and Xena: Warrior Princess.

It’s hard to look past a story that tells us sincerely that there is good in everyone, even the miserly rich, even if today’s reality is making that harder and harder to actually believe.

A Christmas Carol has a stage history almost as long as its published history. In fact, the first stage adaptation appeared in 1844 – only weeks after the novella was released. Another version, this one sanctioned by Dickens, appeared another month later.

And there has been a long tradition of solo actors telling the tale on stage: from Seymour Hicks in the late 19th century to Patrick Stewart in the late 20th.

Jack Thorne’s adaptation is a faithful retelling of the classic tale, with a few interesting tweaks at the conclusion. Director Matthew Warchus’ production (which first premiered at the Old Vic in London in 2017) is a joyous, welcoming production, with some effective scares and surprising emotional weight.

2024 marks the third year in a row the show has been produced at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne. After David Wenham appeared in 2022 and Owen Teale in 2023 (reprising the role from the Old Vic in 2022), Erik Thomson steps into the role of Scrooge this year.

The audience is greeted by actors in Victorian Era clothing, handing out mince pies and mandarins. On stage, other performers are playing instruments. It’s delightful pre-show entertainment – Christmas Carols and long-distance satsuma throwing. Actually, that last bit was occasionally stressful, but it felt like a suitable silly-season game.

We’re in a good mood when Scrooge appears on stage – a partial thrust of wooden floorboards, surrounded by a proscenium arch made from old-fashioned gas lanterns. Scrooge’s office is delineated by archways that appear from under the stage. Doorways and arches are a recurring motif throughout – the doors that Scrooge locks to keep carollers out and the portals he goes through to see the past, present and future.

The ensemble cast aren’t the entire band (some other musicians are hidden away in one of the Comedy Theatre’s side balconies), but when they are not appearing as ghosts or townsfolk, they are a traditional Greek chorus, outlining the tale in Dickens’ own words. They are also there to treat us to Christmas carols throughout.

The transitions from reality to the spectral timelines are ushered in with a rumbling score and an impressive lighting display. The lanterns glow and sparkle in waves that continue beyond the stage and out into the audience, with lights dotted around the auditorium. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Alison Whyte (recently seen in Peter and the Starcatcher) and Samantha Morley get to go big as the ghosts of Christmas Past and Present. Anthony Cogin is suitably gruff as Marley and Scrooge’s father. Felix Star’s Young Ebenezer is so wonderfully expressive. And Sarah Morrison brings some beautifully sensitive work as Belle, especially in her final emotional scene with a changed Ebenezer – an invention of Thorne that reminds us that changing ourselves now does not fix the past for those who have lived it.

This was my first time seeing the show, so I can’t compare Thompson to Wenham or Teale or to any number of the other actors I wish I’d seen in the part: Paterson Joseph, Stephen Mangan, Christopher Eccleston or Brad Whitford. Thompson is ideal for the part – off-putting in Scrooge’s early arrogance and believably joyful by the end.

This fable isn’t asking a lot of its central character – and we all know where it’s headed from minute one. There were a lot of children in the audience for opening night, so this might be their first introduction? I hope they didn’t get too scared!

After hearing how wonderful this production was, it was a thrill to see how stylish it is in execution. May it return every year. 

- Keith Gow, Theatre First

A Christmas Carol is playing at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre until December 29

Photos: Eugene Hyland



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