Theatre Royal, Nottingham – until Saturday 30th November 2024
Reviewed by Chris Jarvis
5*****
What a brilliant production! Exceptional dancers within an amazing set that was easily transformed from a graveyard to the Scrooge & Marley office, Cratchit family home, Ebenezer’s bedroom, and numerous other settings. The production design by Lez Brotherston OBE was brilliant and the costumes outstanding, particularly the Ghosts. The music, although brilliant was recorded rather than played by a live orchestra.
From the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, this production was based on an original outline by Christopher Gable OBE and developed jointly by him and Carl Davis. Northern Ballet, under Artistic Director Frederico Bonelli, brought this production to life. The choreography by Massimo Moricone was exciting and emotional in equal measure.
Act 1 opens with Scrooge (Filippo Di Vilio) as the only mourner at the funeral of his business partner Jacob Marley (Harry Skoupas).
The set then moves to the Scrooge & Marley money lending business on Christmas Eve 7 years later, where Scrooge and his overworked and underpaid assistant Bob Cratchit (Joseph Taylor) are hard at work. Bob tries to introduce some Christmas cheer into the office as we enjoy his incredible dancing. However, the miserable Scrooge is unimpressed and sets him back to work. Scrooge’s nephew (Yu Wakizuka) and wife (Alessia Petrosino) make an unexpected festive visit, but Uncle Ebenezer continues to show his curmudgeonly displeasure.
Bob Cratchit is finally allowed join his family for Christmas and Scrooge returns to his lodgings where he has a very disconcerting experience – a visit from the ghost of Jacob Marley who is condemned to an existence of endless torment as a phantom, following his own selfish ways and warns Ebenezer to expect the same unless he changes his ways.
Act 2 Scrooge is visited by three ghosts, The Ghost of Christmas Past (Dominique Larose), the Ghost of Christmas Present (Andrew Tomlinson) and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Harry Skoupas).
The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back in time to a joyful party at the home of the Fezziwig Family, his first employer. As a young man his greedy nature is already obvious. The antics and dancing of Mr and Mrs Fezziwig (Antoni Cañellas Artigues and Helen Bogatch) are hilarious as well as spectacular!
The Ghost of Christmas Present takes him to the home of his employee Bob Cratchit where he sees that despite having little money, food or possessions, they are very happy and content, unlike himself.
Act 3 The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears in an incredible costume to transport Scrooge forward in time to the Cratchit’s home where the family are mourning the loss of their son and brother Tiny Tim (Jack Ogrizovic) – just so cute!
Throughout these visits Scrooge appears to experience emotions he’s forgotten he’d ever felt and back in his bedroom he finds his bed transformed to a headstone and he is haunted by tormented phantoms and watches a funeral with no mourners and realises that it is his own.
Scrooge becomes a ‘new man’ following these touching or terrifying experiences and decides he must change. We see him transform into a charitable, caring person instead of the lonely miserable and mean man he had become. We are then delighted with his incredibly expressive dancing.
This is a stunning production of A Christmas Carol and not just traditional ballet. It was great to enjoy the humour interspersed throughout and there was always so much happening on stage. I was beyond impressed by the adaptability of the dancers who perform different parts on different nights, so need to know not just one part, but numerous. It was also lovely to see the children from Gedling Ballet School in what must have been a very special pre-Christmas experience!