Charles Dickens’ incredibly famous and even more loved classic story ‘A Christmas Carol’ has finally been transformed into a musical! The story has been adapted time after time (with my personal favourite being The Muppets Christmas Carol) and I was lucky enough to catch this most recent adaption at Curve Leicester!
Curve never fails to impress me with its ‘Made at Curve’ productions and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. Nikolai Foster is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to direction and on this occasion he teamed up with one of my absolute favourite choreographers, Stephen Mear. The entire production was clean, fresh and captivating with plenty of heart and just a sprinkling of sorrow. It was a complete joy to see the story so beautifully told in musical form. The large ensemble numbers, including ‘The Milk of Human Kindness’ and ‘December the 25th’ were where Mear’s choreography truly came to life and these were without a doubt my personal highlights!
Another resounding thing about this production was the outstanding design. Michael Taylor’s deign is second to none. His set is highly impressive; it is visually stunning and makes the space appear vast and unending. Every tiny detail combines remarkably to transform the stage into a dark and dreary 1840s London or garishly bright silk shop of the past. Stellar costuming and lighting design further add to the impressive nature of this visually striking production.
Jasper Britton completely and utterly embodied the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge. He exuded that evil yet vulnerable aura that Scrooge is so well known for making his characters transformation completely believable. Most importantly his delivery of the famous ‘Bah Humbug’ was spot on! The rest of the cast was spectacularly talented. Joyous, precise and charismatic. When a cast is full of such contagious energy and enthusiasm for a production as this cast were, its difficult not to fall head over heels for the show.
My only tiny negative is that I have very mixed feelings when it comes to the score for this musical. Whilst some of the songs I loved, I found some a bit dull and forgettable. In short, I wouldn’t be buying the soundtrack, but I’d spotify the few songs that I loved!
Overall, this stunning adaptation is the perfect start to Christmas. It is full of warmth, love and joy and you’re bound to leave with your heartstrings pulled and a smile on your face. Word of warning to parents of easily scared children; some of the ghost scenes are little creepy!!
Scrooge will be at Curve, Leicester until Sunday 7th January 2018! For more information and tickets, visit the Curve Theatre Website!
Thanks for reading !!!
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Much Love,
Charlotte
*Production Images by Pamela Raith
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