Jack Studio Theatre – until 30 December 2022
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
It is the Christmas truce of 1914, and as the able-bodied soldiers play football, the injured men from both sides are gathered inside an abandoned theatre to listen to a British Medic tell a Christmas story. Ross McGregor’s tender adaptation of A Christmas Carol goes straight for the emotional jugular but doesn’t become overly maudlin as there are wonderful payoffs to come as soldier Jim (Tice Oakfield) compares the soldiers’ inevitable fate with Scrooge’s opportunity for redemption.
Tice Oakfield is sweet and awkward as Jim begins his story, with faltering attempts at German and innocent joy that he has brought a box of magic tricks along. Director Kate Bannister skilfully maintains the conceit that this is an amateur storyteller making the most of what he finds around him in. As he begins his story the practical nature of Karl Swinyard’s atmospheric set is revealed, with doors wheeled across the stage and spun around to portray changes of location. Using a mix of recorded tracks and simply speaking behind a door, Oakfield manages the conversations between various characters seamlessly, but always with a knowing twinkle to remind the audience that this is Jim revelling in telling the story. A swift change of jacket or hat mark the different characters, but Oakfield’s body language and vocal skills sometimes render this unnecessary. Oakfield’s physicality and stamina is astonishing – especially in his performance of a whirlwind rendition of 12 Days of Christmas.
Sleight of hand magic tricks from Jim are matched by technical wizardry with Chomsoonthorn’s lighting complementing Baker’s video design and Julian Starr’s sound design to create the perfect spooky atmosphere for a ghost story. The projections of the ghosts are impressive and the Ghost of Christmas Past’s old school stage magic and Oakfield’s personification of the Ghost of Christmas Present are a welcome addition in this affectionate mashup of theatrical effects.
The added emotional weight of the WW1 setting, being taken out of the story as Jim addresses his audience directly about his wartime experiences, and one last revelation make this adaptation of A Christmas Carol something very special. A barnstorming performance from Tice Oakfield and the magical touch of the Jack Theatre team deliver a heart-warming Christmas treat.