A Christmas Carol

‘A Christmas Carol’ is a Christmas classic. It’s as inseparable from December time as mince pies and Christmas pudding. For nearly two hundred years, it has bought families together at this time of year and brought joy and comfort around the world. All of that Christmas cheer, joy and comfort was echoing through Sheffield’s Crucible on Thursday as Aisha Khan’s adaptation lit up the stage and hearts of the audience.

I’ll spare you an overview of the story. It’s a story that her permeated inside popular culture at its very foundations. We have countless adaptations of it, Muppets and Disney included. All of them are beloved and capture the spirit and sentiment of Dickens’ original and fill their watchers with a certain type of reflection and cheer that is only really possible at Christmastime. Khan’s wonderful and spirited adaptation is no different and fits firmly in the pantheon of wonderful ‘A Christmas Carol’ adaptations from years gone by.

There has clearly been so much care, love and thought put into this production. Every minor detail and touch immerse the audience into its Christmas spirit. There’s no big set pieces here. It doesn’t need them. As the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future say a little really does go a long way. The entire cast put in fantastic performances. The show is not a musical by any means but features fantastic sequences of singing and music. The ensemble’s voices sound heavenly even when simply singing carols.

The star of the show, inevitably, is Ian Midlane (Bridget Jones) as Scrooge. Many performances of Scrooge over the years have painted him as an overly cold, cruel and comically mean-spirited man. Midlane takes back control of Scrooge and presents him with clear love and humility. Midlane’s Scrooge is far easier to emphasise with whilst still retaining the core coldness of the character. He feels less like a villain and closer to a friend who has lost his way and is scared to confront the light in what has become a darkened world. He lights up the stage with passion and energy and hit’s all of the perfect melancholic notes when needed to.

The show is a perfect length for all of the family. It is just under two hours with an interval in the middle. What better way to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit in such a cold and gloomy December? Get yourself down to The Crucible this Christmas and experience some real Christmas joy for yourself. ‘A Christmas Carol’ is running from 29th November until 10th January.