His Scrooge is underpowered but the message of Dickens's story feels as fresh and pertinent as ever
John Simm is the latest star to play Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol’ at The Old Vic
The glorious thing about Christmas traditions is that we do not see them forming, yet once they are established we warmly acknowledge their annual appearance. Just as with matters familial so with the theatre: the Old Vic’s production of the Dickens yuletide behemoth, in a version by, is now in its eighth year and is a firm fixture in the capital’s Christmas landscape.
Thorne’s slick adaptation, which unfolds on a cruciform stage decorated with three portentously empty doorframes, doesn’t afford much time for character building for Bob Cratchit and his family, which becomes more problematic if Scrooge is not at full strength. Thorne is at pains to emphasise how a lonely childhood and tough father inculcated in the boy a profound fear of debt, which resulted in early diligence curdling into hard-hearted avarice.
The great delight of this production is the music; composer and arranger Christopher Nightingale truly offers the gift that keeps on giving even after eight years. There are haunting arrangements of famous carols – listen carefully to their poetic words of hope and humanity – as well as hand-bell arrangements for the entire company.
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