Theatre Royal Windsor – until Saturday 18th November 2023
Reviewed by Ben Jolly
4****
Over at the Theatre Royal Windsor, the holiday season has officially commenced; kicking off is the now-annual outing of Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol – On Air. TRW has now largely become associated with the radio play format staging several productions each year. It is both an economical and thoroughly entertaining device used for storytelling – one that I am surprised isn’t used more often across the country. With little rehearsal time and just a week of performances, the theatre is able to secure highly sought after actors to play these formidable roles between other work commitments.
The set-up is always faithful to previous incarnations, we begin in a period styled BBC Radio sound studio with the cast dressed in 1950s attire (well, for this Christmas production the ’50s-era ensemble have been asked to attend the broadcast in vintage Victorian costume pieces!) The stage, decked with Christmas tree and period streetlamp sets the scene, tantalising the senses, it prompts an audible “ahhhh” from the audience. Entering one by one, the cast prepare themselves for the live broadcast, perpetual anticipation lingers in the air as we begin our journey through the radio waves…
This piece remains faithful to the original story, but like all adaptions has its own voice. Directed by Roy Marsden, who also takes the role of Scrooge himself, the staging is much more visual than previous On Air productions. There’s even a nod to costume and some minor choreography, just enough to suggest staging without there being too much to distract. Marsden’s Scrooge is subtler than some have chosen to play the miserable miser; glossing over some of the most famous lines of the piece, Marsden commands an audience to lean in and keenly listen to the speech. This isn’t a Scrooge for the masses, it is an intimate, underlying portrayal of a man’s confrontation with his past, present and future.
Ashley D Gale’s scrumptious character work goes down extremely well, he tackles a multitude of characters from Marley to Fezziwig with charisma and individuality. Playing both the mystical Ghost of Christmas Past and Mrs Cratchit, Jenny Seagrove is back home at TRW showing us you can have a heart of gold and be hard as nails in the same beat!
With London’s count of various incarnations of this classic Christmas story reaching double figures, it’s a wonder what will draw audiences to one over the other. The truth is that a great story, like a well written song can be told in so many ways, like Shakespeare we can always find more, always find something new to take away. With TRW’s radio play format, this production induces imagination and these legendary characters come back to life again for another year. We end the evening led by the charming Leon Ockenden in a few rousing verses of classic Christmas carols. A Christmas Carol – on Air is the perfect aperitif for the festive season, but if you’re planning on attending, be sure to “Sing out, Louise!” or should that be Marley?