What have critics said about the Old Vic Theatre production of A Christmas Carol directed by Matthew Warchus and starring Owen Teale as Scrooge. Love London Love Culture’s Emma Clarendon finds out.
Year in review: Emma’s 7 favourite theatre productions of 2021
Despite everything that has been happening in the world, last year saw some fantastic theatre being produced under difficult circumstances: here are just a few of our favourite productions.
‘Expect very bad language, naughty jokes & drunken celebration’: A PISSEDMAS CAROL – Leicester Square Theatre
What if you fancy a festive show but you’re not in the mood for Dickensian drama? Shitfaced Showtime is the answer.
‘Disturbing & darkly funny, with two bravura performances’: CRATCHIT – Park Theatre ★★★★
Alexander Knott’s atmospheric take on A Christmas Carol places Bob Cratchit centre stage as familiar events from Dickens’ story are related to the audience through his eyes.
‘How does he behave when not in service of Scrooge?’: John Dagleish on returning to the role of Cratchit
Olivier Award winner John Dagleish played Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s lowly clerk, in the Old Vic’s renowned production of A Christmas Carol. We talked to him about returning to the role in Cratchit, written and directed by Alexander Knott. Time to get booking!
‘The bell-ringing lifts this production to celestial heights’: A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Old Vic Theatre
I love Christmas. But for the past several years, I have struggled to summon the Christmas cheer that used to kick in for me the day after Thanksgiving (or, after so many years in the UK, by 1 December at the latest).
‘It is a real achievement to come up with such an original spin’: A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Old Royal Naval College ★★★★
Once you reach December, you don’t have to look far to find several adaptations of a certain Charles Dickens novella – the key is finding an original take on the story.
‘It’s thrilling to see working-class Bob given some agency’: CRATCHIT – Park Theatre ★★★★
Marley was dead to begin with – and what of it? There’s still work to be done, and Bob Cratchit has to bear the brunt of his remaining master’s foul moods whilst remaining industrious.
PHOTOS: First look at Albany Theatre’s Coventry-set A Christmas Carol
‘God bless us, every one.’ We’ve got a bumper gallery of production shots from Albany Theatre’s stunning new, Coventry-set production of A Christmas Carol. The production runs until 26 December 2021. Time to get booking!
PHOTOS: New play Cratchit gives voice to Dickensian injustices past & present
Cratchit, Alexander Knott’s spin-off from A Christmas Carol that picks up the story of Scrooge’s impoverished clerk, has just opened at London’s Park Theatre. Check out the trailer plus first-look photos of Olivier Award winner John Dagleish in action.
‘The show couldn’t go on without them’: Albany Theatre pays tribute to a dedicated offstage army
How often do we think about – let alone show our appreciation for – what’s happening offstage when we see a show? As Coventry’s Albany Theatre unveils its first in-house production post-pandemic, CEO and artistic director Kevin Shaw does that just as he welcomes audiences back for A Christmas Carol.
‘Don’t be too quick in judging the covetous old sinner’: Paul Nolan on playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in Coventry
Paul Nolan returns to the stage in Coventry to take on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Albany Theatre’s new locally-set adaptation of A Christmas Carol. He took a break from final rehearsals to talk to us about the enduring nature of Charles Dickens’ festive classic, Scrooge’s secrets and Christmasses past and present.
PHOTOS: Meet the cast of Albany Theatre’s Coventry-set A Christmas Carol, now in rehearsals
Paul Nolan, the Coventry veteran who now stars as Scrooge in the Albany Theatre’s new locally-set A Christmas Carol, hopes this brand-new version “awakens our hearts and haunts us pleasantly”. Sneak a peek inside the rehearsal room with our bumper photo gallery.
‘I was completely enthralled’: A CHRISTMAS CAROL – Old Vic Theatre ★★★★
I have always wondered why the Old Vic have chosen to bring back this production of A Christmas Carol – was it simply because the story is a classic and audiences will continue to flock to see it?
NEWS: Coventry’s Albany Theatre launches festive season with new adaptation of A Christmas Carol
Coventry’s Albany Theatre has bounced back post-Covid with Cultural Recovery funding and a diverse programme. The theatre now moves into Christmas with two high-quality festive favourites for families, starting with a new, Coventry-set adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
NEWS: John Dagleish returns to the character of Bob Cratchit in new rewriting of Charles Dickens
Olivier Award winner John Dagleish takes the title role in Cratchit, an astute rewriting of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which has its live premiere at the Park Theatre this December.
NEWS: Moulin Rouge is the big winner at the Tony Awards & there is British success for A Christmas Carol & The Inheritance
Moulin Rouge! The Musical triumphed in 10 categories at the 74th Tony Awards, including being named Best Musical, but there was also British success, with Rob Howell and Hugh Vanstone winning awards for their design work on the Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol (5) and Stephen Daldry named Best Director for his staging of Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance (4), originally at London’s Young Vic Theatre before its West End transfer.
NEWS: The Old Vic announces Back Together season
The Old Vic has announced its Back Together season, the seventh from artistic director Matthew Warchus, which will run from July 2021 to July 2022 and combines both streamed and live shows.
‘I wouldn’t count on us being safe until the summer at the earliest’: Mark Shenton shares his thoughts with a new daily blog for 2021
One of my new year resolutions — and one I intend to keep — is to revitalise this personal website ShentonStage as my primary editorial home this year.
‘The themes are both relevant and mildly hopeful’: DECEMBER – Old Red Lion Theatre (Online review)
I watched the streamed version of December, written and directed by Alexander Knott, and performed in the Old Red Lion Theatre and pub.