New Version Of A Christmas Carol Asks - What If Scrooge Was A Woman?
Looks like this article is a bit old. Be aware that information may have changed since it was published.
Last Updated 11 December 2019
In this version of Charles Dickens’ classic, adapted by Piers Torbay, Scrooge has become Fan Scrooge, sister of Ebenezer.
For an added twist, Scrooge has become Fan Scrooge, sister of Ebenezer. The gender switch allows the play to examine how the famously penny-pinching party pooper would fare as a woman, and how her life experience, as a bright girl denied an education, might have had a role in forming her personality.
Wilton’s Music Hall is the perfect venue for this story of hardship in Victorian London, the theatre’s time-worn wooden interior blending seamlessly with the interiors of Scrooge’s office and creepy bedroom.
Sally Dexter gives an astonishingly powerful performance as Fan Scrooge, transitioning from bitter misanthrope to manic bestower of universal kindness. Joseph Hardy and Chisara Agor make striking musical street urchins — reminding us that we will likely pass people facing a similar plight as soon as we leave the theatre.
Creative puppetry, designed by Jo Lakin, gives the show an extra sparkle. Dickens himself appears as a willowy fairy cat, and a giant thunderous ghost had our 11-year-old-companion quaking in her seat.
Christmas Carol – a fairy tale, Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, E1 8JB. Tickets £12.50-£36, until 4 January 2020.
