A Christmas Carol. Bawds dress rehearsal photos credit : Sophie Wilson

The days are dark. There is a chill in the air, and yet towards the end of December everyone’s spirits are lifted as they gleefully await the celebration of Christmas. Well, not quite everyone. A Christmas Carol, written originally by Charles Dickens in 1843, serves as a warning to those who have forgotten the true meaning of the holiday and teaches us that there is no greater joy than giving to others. Here at the ADC Theatre, Bawds presents Barry Brown’s adaptation of this Christmas classic, directed by Colin Lawrence, captures the magic of the original while adding a sprinkle of whimsy and Monty Python-esque humour to create a merry evening for all.

Our tale, narrated by Dickens himself (Martin Woodruff), opens with Ebenezer Scrooge (Scott Brindle), a miserly man, ungenerous and cruel to those around him. On Christmas eve, Scrooge is visited by a range of ghosts. First is his deceased friend Marley, played beautifully by Barry Brown, warning him of what is to come that very evening. Three apparitions (Madeleine Forrester, Ted Ridgway Watt, and Mike Milne) appear in the middle of the night and, much to Scrooge’s dismay, whisk him away to see Christmases past, present, and future respectively. He is forced to confront the consequences of his selfish actions: being dumped by the love of his life, seeing his employee struggle to feed their large and sickly family leading to the death of their youngest son, and ultimately dying alone and hated. The sight of people rejoicing at his future death is too much for Scrooge to bear and he resolves to change his ways before it is too late.

Dickens and Scrooge are by far the largest parts in the show, supported by a fantastic ensemble cast of characters. Woodruff is the spitting image of Dickens, complete with impeccable facial hair by Hannah Curtis, with a presence and tone throughout that makes for very enjoyable listening that would not be out of place at any Victorian book reading. There are too many actors to mention individually but overall the whole ensemble are confident, engaging, and effective in making the world feel full and vibrant, in contrast to Scrooge’s initial view of it, using the stage to its full potential. Laurence’s direction allows for light comedic moments through the use of the Juliet doors and the musical choices, both original music written by Ian Favell and classic Christmas carols, effectuate an inviting Christmas-y ambience.

The set is sparse, yet efficacious. A smart choice that is reflective of Scrooge’s penny pinching in certain scenes but also accommodates the huge number of scene changes required. Longer scene changes are masked by hand-drawn animations projected onto the screen, as well as a few used in the scenes themselves and mixed in with the carol singing interludes. These are whimsical and enhance the wintery Victorian atmosphere, rather than distracting from it. However, I would love the images to be larger and use up more space on the screen. The real stars of the production are costuming and props, lovingly handled by Gloria Milne, Sheila Pierre, and Beth White. A lot of care has been taken to procure period appropriate clothing that tells the story along with the dialogue. There is no confusion as to who is who, a feat when actors span multiple roles, and the use of colour and silhouettes throughout paints a narrative around societal status, ghostly intention, and in Scrooge’s case, inner emotional turmoil. Marley’s appearance is particularly haunting, if you’ll pardon the pun, adorned in chains, ledgers, and lockboxes.

Bawd’s production of this Christmas classic is light, impactful, and a lot of fun. To quote another Dickens, “Please sir, can I have some more?”