Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of Dickens, right? And over the years I have seen a vast array of incarnations of his most famous novel of all, the latest one being presented by The Octagon Theatre in Bolton. It never ceases to amaze me just how different they have all been.
The Octagon's version utilises a small but multi-faceted cast, in a musical version [music and lyrics by Kate Ferguson and Susannah Pearse]. It's fast, slick, humorous, good natured and feel-good from start to finish, with each performer playing more than one role (with the exception of Scrooge himself), and all having a go on at least one or more musical instruments too, from tubular bells at the rear of the audience to trumpet and rather unwieldy double-bass on stage.
The set is in-the-round, and so no large set pieces can be utilised, meaning that the majority of the settings are gained through use of lighting and small carry-on items, which the cast are also tasked into doing. The ceiling (for the want of a better word) is decked with hanging street lamps and fairy lights which work well, however, I was very uncertain about the UV lighing, as this seemed to serve no other purpose than to light up all the white clothing in the audience!
A vast array of theatrical styles was utilised with abandon by director Georgia Murphy, as we unhesitatingly moved from gothic horror to pantomime, tragedy to slapstick, in the blink of an eye, and this evening's Bolton audience seemed to lap it all up - especially the audience participation dance routine! Juxtapose this though with the uber-scary entrance of Jacob Marley and one was left wondering just exactly who their target audience was.
The story remains faithful to the novel, and, although it was at times rather difficult to tell what character the cast were, [little or no regard for contemporaneous costuming and hair styles was given], the changes were sometimes very fast with hardly any difference in characterisation, it was still recognisable and easy to follow.
And despite having to wait until the very end of the show to recognise that this is Winter and it is cold on stage, the ensemble cast worked well within the confines of the stage space and brought about a lively and entertaining Christmassy family show.
Reviewers - Chris Benchley and Matthew Dougall.
on - 23.11.22
on - 23.11.22
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