Review: A Christmas Carol - The Jewish Chronicle

Of all the grasping, miserly characters in literature, Ebenezer Scrooge is perhaps the second most infamous.

I say "second" only because Shakespeare's Shylock probably has the edge.

The villain of The Merchant of Venice, who demands his pound of flesh come what may, may be held to be beyond redemption. Dickens's Scrooge, on the other hand - guilty of little more than being a bit of a misery - cheers up when his conscience is pricked by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. He is forgiven and all is well that ends well.

This version -directed by Rachel O'Riordan and staged by the Library Theatre company, currently homeless during a three-year refubishment - was perfectly pleasant and engaging, largely faithful to the classic novel which was, incidentally, inspired by Dickens's visit to Manchester in 1843.

The set, with its pair of Victorian staircases, was stunning. The musical interludes specially composed by Conor Mitchell worked well, and with Scrooge flying across the stage on a hoist during the ghost scenes, it was a very watchable alternative to panto. It may be bit scary for very young children, though - six plus is the recommendation.

It was a very enjoyable alternative to Panto

The story - one man's transformation from meanness to generosity - has become a part of everyday culture. Scrooge is a byword for penny-pinching, his catchphrase, "Bah, humbug", a cliche of mean-spiritedness. And so there were few surprises as the plot unfolded - as traditional interpretations go, it worked well enough. David Beames made a satisfyingly beastly Scrooge, although I'm not sure he convinced when he was transformed from Mr Nasty to Mr Nice. He set the tone early, stooped over his candle-lit desk with his ledgers, as his downtrodden clerk Bob Cratchit (Jack Lord) asks for time off on Christmas eve. Cratchit wants to buy a gift for Tiny Tim, his disabled son (played in rotation by youngsters Oliver Hughes, Oliver Oakley Keenan, and Ben Hancock). Request denied.

Not such an unfair response to an employee's lack of foresight, I thought to myself, but let us not get all humbug about it.

Scrooge is then visited by his former partner Jacob Marley, who died seven years earlier, with a chilling warning.

His life is flashed before him in a series of tableaux with the three ghosts. Scrooge sees himself loathed and ridiculed, desperately tries to re-direct his younger self, and finally, as he views his own grim funeral, he repents his evil ways, laments his wasted years and becomes a nice chap. He no longer condemns the weak and poor to prisons and workhouses. Instead, he comes over all philanthropic and sends Cratchit a big turkey.

Seasonal entertainment rarely gets more heartwarming. But in sticking to such a traditional approach the production may have missed out on the opportunity to explore the story's potential contemporary resonances.