A Christmas Carol
Somewhere, in among all the cheering and booing and noisily competitive singalongs that pass as benchmarks of a successful seasonal show for children, there’s the kind of audience participation that is hushed and utterly spellbound.
From the very first strains of evocative music to Tiny Tim’s joyous conclusion, “God bless us, everyone!”, this gloriously stirring, great-hearted staging of Charles Dickens’s redemptive tale commands that truly rapt, intense commitment from a full house of primary and secondary school parties.
In a way, James Brining’s production is as much a tacit celebration of the Rep’s ensemble – now a decade old – as it is a resonant witness to the life-affirming strengths of community spirit.
As the impressive set revolves – taking us from Scrooge’s drab office to grey-grim street without scene-shifting interruptions – the cast melt in and out of various character cameos, making each one distinct and the dialogue utterly persuasive. Even the briefest vignette is delivered fully fleshed out, with Dickens’s literary flourishes pronounced with a naturalness that would make you weep in admiration.
Setting that tone is John Buick’s complex, compelling Scrooge. A cranky Scot who brings a moralistic timbre to his denunciations of the workshy poor, Buick’s Scrooge is a wonderfully open book as his transformation and awakening progresses. Drawn in by his sincerity, you feel for him and with him. Nicely judged comedy filters in with the hauntings, though Christmas Yet To Come is seriously scary.
Live music, rich with big brass vigour and carol singing and sweet with harmonies, thread throughout a production that outstrips the usual star ratings. The Rep’s programme suggests young critics might like to assign coloured-in lanterns. More like the Northern Lights and the National Grid.