Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – until 17 December 2024
Reviewed by Sue Portman
5*****
This is a production from the Dickens Theatre Company. It is directed by Eric Richard, music by Paul Higgs, adapted by Ryan Philpott.
Two of Dickens’ closest theatrical companions find themselves trapped in the footlights’ glare. With the rest of the cast stuck on a train, actress Frances Ternan and Dickens’ faithful tour manager George Dolby take on the daunting challenge of portraying over 30 characters. But who will play Scrooge?
A Christmas Carol is in my view, one of the greatest stories ever written and I am hugely dedicated to watching many of the adaptations from Alastair Sim to George C Scott every Christmas. I was therefore very interested to see what sort of a presentation this would be. When it comes to this particular Victorian classic, I am very hard to please. How then was my experience? Read on.
Let me deal with the elephant in the room (for me anyway) and that is the part of Ebenezer Scrooge being played by a woman (shock, horror). Obviously Scrooge was a man, and I wondered in reverse if a man playing (for Example) Queen Elizabeth I might be received. I mean actors can play any part, of course they can, but how would it feel? Would any woman playing Scrooge simply ruin it? Hold that thought. The whole play was enacted by two people, Ryan Philpott and Hannah Blaikie and both have been on stage and TV in various roles. We learn at the beginning that Blaikie will be playing the part of Ebenezer Scrooge
whilst Philpott will take on all of the other roles. This is not mean feat of course, and something I have never seen done before. The stage was relatively small, but delightfully intimate with very few props, ranging from a couple of ladders, various boxes, some clothing, and a few other items. It was thoughtfully backlit and the lighting on the stage was
suitably atmospheric, especially when the smoke machine gently spread fog onto the stage.
We all know the story. Parsimonious miser Scrooge is visited by four spirits and taken on various journeys to help him see the light and change his ways for the good of himself and mankind. It works, reclamation is realised, and he does become the best friend to Tiny Tim
and the whole city. There is no better story for me.
Tonight’s production began with a clever twist. George Dolby and Ellen Ternan are characters played by Blaikie and Philpott who then go on to portray the Christmas Carol characters because ‘Charles Dickens; could not arrive, being late as he was! Thus, we had actors, playing characters, playing characters. That’s very clever.
The duo developed the characters very skilfully and the best compliment I can possibly give to Hannah Blaikie is that I soon forgot that she was a woman playing a man and I immersed myself into her superb portrayal of Scrooge. Surely this is exactly what she would want from an audience – to see the character not the actor. Her voice and physical demeanour
changed seamlessly as she portrayed Scrooge through time. As Scrooge, she was credible, convincing and consummately professional. Bravo then. As Bob Cratchett said about his wife’s Christmas pudding, it was ‘another triumph.’
Ryan Philpott Dolby performed his many roles with great aplomb. All four ghosts were given regional accents and we were treated to the dubious pleasure of listening to the ghost of Christmas past with a strong Birmingham accent. My husband is a Brummie and he was not keen on the accent being used, thinking it more poking fun at ‘Brummies’ * than
fitting the character but this wasn’t the case of course, but people do seem to laugh at that accent which especially if ‘overdone’ as it was at times. To be fair, Philpott was very versatile with his voice changes and accents, ergo we had west country and cockney, plus others in between as he changed voice and clothing from one character to another – including old Fezziwig, Joe, people at the business exchange, cousin Fred, Tiny Tim, and more. He was also the narrator of the whole show, so he wore many hats, and he wore them all in style.
With absolutely minimal use of props these two actors unravelled this timeless story expertly. A simple change of a hat here, or the addition of a shawl there, transformed them into someone new, and I really got lost in this production, enjoying not only each moment but wondering how they were going to portray each next aspect of the story. It was done
with minimum fuss, but maximum impact, and demonstrated just how, with skilled actors, one requires very few props to actually tell a story.
With many shows, the stage set sometimes overshadows the actors. Here, the actors were so mesmerising that the props and set really were secondary to what they were doing. They were the show. They were the stars. I was much more interested in what they had to say, and their delivery than any prop and they executed all of their parts with great professionalism. They made it look easy, which if course is the greatest compliment an actor can receive. They performed in perfect synchronicity and I could see how much thought had gone into this excellent production.
It was clear that they loved not only the story itself but the opportunity to bring this fine and unusual production to the masses, who welcomed it very warmly I should add. We were treated to singing at one point, and this gave Blaikie in particular the opportunity to show the audience what a beautiful voice she has and she must surely be engaging with more singing going forward! Those mellifluous tones should not be wasted. At the end, the audience applauded with gusto, and outside I heard people saying how different, and how superb it was.
In 1843, Charles Dickens gave a message to the world through this timeless story. Were he to return today, would he see the world as a better, happier more sharing, caring place or would he still find the same old greed and avarice? Do we carry the spirit of Christmas throughout the year? Has humanity learned any lessons?
This story is a reminder of the need to reflect upon our role in society and the significance that we have within it. When it comes to putting that across in terms of a performance in a more intimate setting the Dickens Theatre Company did not disappoint and there should be no spare seats for the few remaining dates – or else expect a visit from Jacob Marley!
Although I have attended many productions at this venue I have never attended one at the Norman Bragg Studio which is a small ‘studio’ which hosts a programme of intimate productions and events throughout the year including a monthly Comedy Club, regular screenings, Bring Your Own Baby Comedy and small scale shows and live music gigs. The
Studio is easily accessible with a bar selling a range of light refreshments and facilities available within easy reach. One of the venue’s hireable spaces, the Norman Bragg Studio is licensed for wedding ceremonies and ideal for accommodating conferences, exhibitions, dinners and private events. Contact the venue for hire options. Rather than word, a photograph of the venue will reveal it’s pleasurable setting
*A Brummie is a person originating from Birmingham.