A Christmas Carol – Smock Alley – Review by Fran Winston

Until December 22nd in the Main Space 7.30pm nightly with matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 2.30pm.

Tickets €15/12 or €50 for a family of four

Charles Dickens classic morality tale of a curmudgeonly mean old man who hates Christmas but sees the error of his ways following a visit from three spirits on Christmas Eve has become as much a part of the festive season as mince pies. Indeed I myself generally have an annual read of it to help get myself in the mood for the season. Therefore I was hugely excited for this adaptation by John Gentile which is directed by Patrick Sutton – particularly when they claimed to feature the scariest spirits ever to grace an Irish stage.

Given the epic scale of the story I was surprised to find that the cast comprised of only three actors – Joe Purcell as Scrooge and Rebecca Proctor and Killian Coyle as Narrator 1 and 2 respectively. Upon walking in I was also struck by the centrepiece on the stage – a four poster bed and not much else.

Then when director Sutton walked out to do the housekeeping and said the show was approximately an hour long I was completely intrigued as I found it impossible to comprehend how they could take such a sweeping tale and condense it so much.

In fact Proctor and Coyle play multiple characters as well as narrating the tale while Purcell completely embodies the initially unlikable Scrooge. Using lighting, puppets, effects and even dioramas to illustrate his journey with the spirits the audience is taken on his travels from Christmas past and his younger days to Christmas present and the trials and tribulations of his clerk Bob Cratchett and his invalid son Tiny Tim and finally Christmas future which foretells Scrooge’s own sad lonely death (since the tale is so famous it is unlikely there are any spoilers there but if you didn’t know this, apologies).

Everything is very cleverly utilised and they do indeed manage to compress the saga into an hour long tale. On the whole this is a completely enjoyable magical experience and since it is aimed at ages 8+ and families I can see why they have simplified it as they have. The spirits are well represented and the Ghost of Christmas Future is indeed both impressive and ambitious and I’m sure will be suitably frightening for younger members of the audience. Meanwhile the lighting and sound are effective and almost act as additional cast members.

However I did feel that at times it was too condensed. Particularly the scenes with the Ghost of Christmas Present which is a big turning point for Scrooge. I also never felt you properly got the sense of the Cratchett’s issues and at times many of the snapshots of his life that he was bearing witness to felt quite rushed. Having actors play multiple roles is a common theatrical tool but at times there is a danger that one or two will blend into each other as happens here. It is no fault of Proctor and Coyle. There is simply so much leaping back and forth that even the most focused actor would have difficulty keeping the switches clearly defined.

I enjoyed this but did feel they could have given themselves an extra thirty minutes to expand the tale more. All the elements are here for an excellent show and there is no faulting the energy of the production or the heart and thinking behind it. I just felt that they didn’t always get the essence of the tale although they did put on a great show. If you are looking for an alternative to panto for your little ones this could be just the thing as despite my minor criticisms it is still perfect festive fare and a nice reminder to be grateful for what you have at this time of year.