A Christmas Carol
Adapted from Charles Dickens by George Bradshaw & Alex Wilson who also direct
Half Cut Theatre
Capitol, Horsham
Star rating: 5
Half Cut Theatre has continuously punched well above its weight since its inception in the pandemic panic of 2020. It has a knack of finding outstandingly talented actors and then directing them with remarkable imaginative flair – and this 80 minute take on A Christmas Carol is a fine example of that excellence.
It’s Christmas so audience involvement is de rigeur. What a neat idea to open this four-hander with two actors in neutral white loose shirts silently playing a game of hangman so that we create the “Scrooge and Marley” sign outside Miss Scrooge’s office. There are several interactive games of this sort, integrated into the action, and it’s good fun.
I’d seen Eleanor de Rohan earlier in the day being brilliant as Bunny in The Christmas Bunny and Miss Scrooge couldn’t be more different. She is icily, unpleasantly dismissive and somehow the mild updating of the story (references to Waitrose, the job centre, hip-hop and the like) make her seem more chilling and topically plausible than usual. Eventually when we reach the redemption sequence and Miss Scrooge sees the error of her ways, de Rohan’s eyes shine with happiness and glee. It’s a fine performance.
The rest of the story – told with multiple narrators – comes via Tom Briggs, Ellie Bradbury and Eddie Ahrens who play all the other roles. All have stupendous voice skills and mercurial stage presence. Ahrens (who played all the other toys in The Christmas Bunny earlier) is such a fine actor that he simply disappears into each role – from Mrs Cratchit to a delightfully louche Spirit and a lot more. He also provides a lot of atmospheric music on accordion, often along with Bradbury on violin or recorder and/or Briggs on guitar.
All four are good at audience interaction too. A random child is recruited as Tiny Tim and, at the performance I saw, a rather bemused, but clearly chuffed, young lad spoke each line fed to him with gentle confidence – to bursts of encouraging and admiring applause.
There are few props in this show but light is crucial. There’s eerie darkness where it’s appropriate, cast members use hand torches and four illuminated rods become everything from a fireplace to a pepper grinder. Yes, there really is a lot of atmospheric originality here.
I have seen dozens of takes on A Christmas Carol over the decades – usually at least one each season. This version is one of the best yet. Get to it if you possibly can.
