A Christmas Carol
My visit to the Old Vic got off to a fairly exciting start as I found myself trapped in the loo as the lock came off in my hand in the cubical. I spent several minutes trying to reattach it to the bar that controlled the lock mechanism and the bar was slowly pushed away farther through the door. Attempting to fish the bar back with my keys only pushed the bar in further and after 10 flustered minutes I eventually called for help. A fellow audience member pushed the bar back through the door and I was able to get out. Sweating slightly now after my ordeal, I sheepishly thanked my rescuer, a thanks that was made all the more awkward by the fact he had not waited for me to get out and was now using the urinal. Under the circumstances I did not shake his hand.
The play itself was delightful. I am (like most of the English-speaking world I imagine) well acquainted with the tale of the Christmas Carol and was slightly concerned I might find the same old story a bit dry. Fortunately, that was not the case. The show opened with music serenading us to our seats and we were presented with oranges and mince pies by the players. Scrooge was a charmingly quirky chap with an excellent sardonic humour (his look reminded me a bit of Einstein). The trio of ghosts were interesting, funny and surprising unique, quite different from the traditional tale. Indeed the whole ensemble cast were quite excellent, performing a variety of Christmas melodies throughout. It’s very nice to enjoy these after the Christmas season is over and this musical accompaniment gave the whole show a lot more oomph. The musical bell ringing was also charming.
The set was extremely interactive from the dangling lanterns above the stage to the elements of the stage which could be disassembled and used as seating, and there was good use of a wide range of props, especially in the second half which I must say was stronger than the first. This was certainly a show which really built and upped the tempo as it went along. All in all a fun, musical Christmas show for anyone who fancies another touch of Christmas in January. It certainly took my mind off the stress of being trapped in the lavatory.