A Christmas Carol
Sherman Theatre Cardiff
Cardiff, 1843. Money is all Scrooge has. She has lots of it. It’s all she has ever had, but it’s never made her happy. But on Christmas Eve, she will meet three ghosts who will teach her the most important lesson of all. By Christmas morning, she will have learned how to live for the first time.
A Christmas Carol is a well-known story—in theatre, certainly, it’s a staple of the festive season as much as the 20 or so adaptations on TV. So why see a new version? And does the Sherman production have anything new to offer?
The short answer to the latter is yes. And to the former, there’s a reason this story seems to be a limitless source for adaptation- because it really is rich with meaning and, more importantly, heart. And yes, Gary Owen, best known for my contemporary hard-hitting plays, does indeed have a festive heart.
Set, as the description says, in Cardiff rather than London, it gives the play a local feel. Not in the cringey ‘Are you feeling Festive Carrrdiffff’ way that panto tends to, or with awkward jokes about Splott, or sheep. But in a ‘hey Cardiff was an important city in the Victorian era and many of the socio-economic problems of Victorian London translate to Cardiff too.’ Sorry, it's a bit of a segway into a festive history lesson there, but the transposing to Cardiff does work in a historical and theatrical context. And bar a few local references (and yes, a quick history lesson for those who care to listen), you wouldn’t know the difference in the rest of the story.
And yes, let’s get this out of the way now: Scrooge is a woman. Cue pearl clutching at this ‘butchering’ of the classic. But what if…what if…just like moving to Cardiff, the gender swap opens up other dimensions to the character we haven’t previously considered? What if it adds questions- about gender in the Victorian era? About successful women? And what if too…it also doesn’t massively alter the story from the classic we love and just gives a great actor (Hannah McPake) a chance to shine in a role not traditionally assigned to her gender? (it also gives her a kick-ass outfit in act one which is always a win too).
Gary Owen’s script works well in the adaptation, throwing in enough familiar points of reference to make the story feel familiar. But also playing with what it looks and feels like- with the help of Joe Murphy’s direction. The ghosts for example, take different directions, from Welsh history references with the Mari Llwyd to the camp of Christmas Present to the outright terrifying Doctor-Who esque Christmas future. If there’s a minor quibble to be had it’s that in gender-swapping Scrooge the need to give her a love interest and a reference to a lack of children or finding of maternal instincts in her ‘redemption’ irks a bit. Can Ebbie not be changed without having to be a ‘second mother’ to Tiny Tim? Must we evoke her lack of family as an aspect of her ‘failings’, and while the love interest is sweet, no male Scrooge has ever needed one. Still, it (mostly) works in context, and it’s Christmas a little saccharine never hurts anyone.
The story is then the classic we love, give or take the details. We’re helped along as usual by Joseph Marley, given a narrator role in this production and played by Keiron Self, who as regulars know, is a staple of the Sherman Christmas show. And moves effortlessly from narrator Marley to Christmas bauble and back again with comedic aplomb. The entire cast- who multi-role and serve as the in-house band (The Humbugs) playing instruments to accompany Lucy Rivers's excellent songs. The music offers a great balance of festive flavour and entertainment fitting for a Christmas show, but also emotional and plot development. Rivers’s music compliments Gary Owen’s script, working with the narrative and characters to enhance the story. But also, her writing should be given separate recognition; it’s a huge challenge to write music for a play that does all that- emotional development, plot and entertainment all while serving an existing classic story, serving a script and indeed working for an actor-musician ensemble. That’s a huge undertaking and one that deserves to be recognised, and recognised for the skill, and emotional impact her writing has. Without her music in fact the piece would not have quite the impact it does.
The entire ensemble does brilliant work; notable is Owen Alun as the Ghost of Christmas Present…who is actually a Christmas Tree…singing P!ink songs…and strangely moving simultaneously. In all seriousness, Alun works with the crowd effortlessly and is the perfect balance of a Christmas Party and a moving performance as the Ghos. Similarly, Catrin Mai Edwards gives a moving performance as the Match Girl and embodies a powerful spirit of Christmas Past in her roles while seamlessly jumping to be the puppeteer behind Tiny Tim. Music is a huge feature of this piece, and Emily Ivana Hawkins and her outstanding vocal skills are a huge part of that. Still, she also puts in an array of fiercely funny scenes and makes her series of female characters forces to be reckoned with. No Christmas Carol is complete without Bob Cratchit of course, and Oliver Wood brings an honest sincerity to the role, steering it away from saccharine and giving Cratchit a strength not often seen in the role. Rounding out the cast is Oliver Hoare who plays, among others, the love interest for Scrooge, which he does with gentle sensitivity, which offsets the bristly hardness of Ebbie perfectly.
And of course, there’s Hannah McPake as Ebbie Scrooge. As mentioned above, whenever there’s a chance to take on a role not traditionally written for your gender, actors should absolutely take it and run with it. And run with it she does. Ebbie is at once the familiar Scrooge and not, and that’s a good thing. Not to make this entirely about gender but it is a different kind of character when a woman is a powerful businessperson and eschews all family and friends…McPake embodies that without it being heavy-handed. She’s also funny- darkly so and charmingly so in equal measure that adds light to the heaviness of the later narrative. Additionally, there’s a lovely shift in physicality as Ebbie goes from the powerful, self-assured character of the opening to the vulnerable version of herself later on. And a real warmth when that exterior is cracked. McPake also knows to have fun with it- while there’s a serious thread to the character, she also plays to the audience and engages them fully.
The actor-musician format of the play works brilliantly, and so does the ensemble role doubling. The hard-working cast embodies Victorian London's world while feeling accessible and modern to today’s audiences, young and old. Press Night was BSL interpreted by Tony Evans who, as ever, was a brilliant interpreter, bringing to life the show for BSL users, and the Sherman has an array of accessible performances across the run (see link at end of review).
It's lovely to see the ‘fuller’ version of A Christmas Carol after the previous socially distanced version of 2021. And it’s a show that deserved to live out its full glorious production. The newer additions to the cast and tweaks to the script serve it well, and there’s not a weak link or moment. For lovers of A Christmas Carol seeking the classic, you won’t be disappointed. For those looking for a slight twist on the classic, this is the Christmas show for yo,u too. The additions to the story modernise while interestingly giving a history lesson. The story feels contemporary and meaningful while also being a dose of Christmas warmth and cheer. It’s a balance of serious message and singing Christmas trees and truly, who doesn’t want that at Christmas?
A Christmas Carol runs until 4th January 2025. Prices £16-£19
Accessible Performances:
Sat 30 Nov - 2:00pm Relaxed Performance
Sat 7 Dec - 2:00pm BSL interpreted
Sat 7 Dec - 2:00pm Captioned
Sat 7 Dec - 7:00pm Audio Described